Hatred in all the voices

An experience that was really impactful today was the lunch counter sit-in simulation at the national center for civil and human rights. During the simulation I sat at a lunch counter chair, put the provided headphones on, and placed my hands flat on the table. There were lots of people that started whispering in my ears really loudly, mostly men. Then the voices started escalating, and people started to start telling me they were going to kill me. Then the seat would rattle and the voices would get really loud and it sounded like tons of people were screaming at me from behind me. The sound of glasses breaking and sirens were also in the background. The simulation was really intense and it was hard to stay still. I wanted to get up and leave and I also wanted to cry once it finished. I was mostly just astounded by the amount of hatred that I heard in all the voices, and I think that was what made it the most scary. I felt like I’d gotten to experience a little part of what so many had to endure and it was shocking and upsetting.

Isabel