Murfreesboro locals lined Medical Center Parkway for a 25-hour filibuster on May 1 that protested recent actions by the Trump administration that could affect birthright citizenship or due process procedure, according to protestors.

Demonstrate for Democracy organizers Lora and Rachel Hortert co-organized the event, which included a group reading of the Declaration of Independence, all 85 Federalist Papers and the United States Constitution. Fluid groups of orators and volunteers streamed in and out, but the crowd stayed consistent at about 20 people during the day. In total, around 100 people participated, Lora Hortert said.

“What I’m seeing in this administration [are] direct violations of the Constitution,” Lora Hortert said. “Republican representatives and senators have not stood up to Trump, and they needed to be reminded of what is in the Constitution.”

Alongside her daughter, Rachel Hortert, the mother-daughter duo took turns greeting protestors as they came and answered questions.

Lora Hortet majored in political science at MTSU, where she studied the Constitution and how the law applies to it. She also worked as a paralegal for 15 years and bought a paralegal company in 2022. She didn’t expect her career focus to shift from paralegal work to activism, but the current administration discarded the Constitution, and elected officials didn’t do enough, she said.

Rachel Hortert is an MTSU psychology student graduating in May, who plans to help people who struggle with mental health issues, but this year she turned her attention to organizing protests with her mother. She hopes locals feel heard and believes if nobody else will stand up, then she must, Rachel Hortert said. Similar to her mother, she didn’t envision activism for herself, but she said her home – Rutherford County – was being misrepresented.

“With politics in general, I didn’t know much growing up,” Rachel Hortert said. “With Trump’s first election, I couldn’t vote. I wanted to use my voice and couldn’t, and that felt terrible.”

The idea of the filibuster was born on a car ride to a recent Nashville protest. Joined by family friend and local politician Kelly Northcutt, the trio discussed recent questionable actions by the administration and their Constitutional significance.

The three worked together to plan a time and place, obtain permits from the city and spread the word. On April 26, the Horterts attended the “Spring into Action” event at First Cumberland Presbyterian Church to advertise for the filibuster.

“We had 50 pages printed to hand out, and I think we had seven left by the time we left the organization’s event,” Rachel Hortert said. “My mom posted it to Mobilize, the 50501 page, and we had seven people sign up there, too.”

They live-streamed the filibuster, which tallied about 100 people over 25 hours. People took turns reading the “Charters of Freedom,” which includes the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights. They also read the Federalist Papers and the Articles of Confederation.

Nomadic activist and author, Kalub Rowley, moved from Missouri to Murfreesboro two weeks ago and said that they quit their job to protest full-time.

“I wanted to see what was going on and to be involved,” Rowley said.

Rowley also organized demonstrations in Missouri and spoke about their belief that the best way to protest misinformation and wrong stereotypes is through education.

“Coming from Missouri to here and seeing it isn’t that different makes me realize that the decade of time since his first election, Donald Trump has created a culture of hate,” Rowley said. “It’s not true patriotism, it’s religious nationalism.”

Some protestors, however, have been in Tennessee for decades.

Judy Whitehill, a retired Murfreesboro Public Schools teacher, librarian and speech therapist, is a local activist. She participated in the protest and took many turns reading from the founding documents. She’s advocated for the community for several years and has spoken at many school meetings. 

“As a librarian, I spoke about keeping the books on the shelves,” Whitehill said. “They were asking for all of these reviews and completely ignoring them and pulling the books regardless.”

Whitehill protested because she wanted to be a good example for her grandchildren. She wanted them to see her “doing what’s right,” she said.

Lora Hortert reiterated Whitehill’s concern for the next generation and reflected on historical precedent.

“For my kids, for any future grandchildren I might have,” Lora Hortert said. “It’s important to stand up for them.” 

Lora Hortert remembered being a child when the Watergate Scandal broke, and Republican reactions in the 1970s differed from lawmakers today when the Constitution comes into question, she said.

Lora Hortert continues to work as a paralegal on the side, but her newfound passion for advocacy is her main focus.

“This is the first of many protests and demonstrations,” Lora Hortert said. “We have another one in the works.”

To contact the News editor, email [email protected].

For more news, visit www.mtsusidelines.com, and follow us on Facebook at MTSU Sidelines and on X and Instagram at @mtsusidelines. Also, sign up for our weekly newsletter here.