I will never forget the way I felt that night; my stomach was churning, I was sweating, and my brain couldn't focus. That night was what seemed to be a typical fall night. I had gotten off of work and was heading to the food court to grab a slice of pizza and some iced tea before heading back to my dorm room to shower and watch Netflix.
However, things did not turn out to be so typical. As I was being rung up, I noticed a girl in a hijab sitting alone at a table with a group of guys walking toward her. This is the part I will never forget. The guys started to call out to her that she would look prettier without her hijab and that this is America (apparently that being in America means we can't practice religious or cultural customs outside of Christianity).
I froze.
I saw the girl run out of the food court with tears streaming down in face and I did nothing. The boys were bigger than I was and were obviously intoxicated. I feared what might happen to me if I stood up and said something, and I have regretted this action ever since.
I was so disappointed in myself and couldn't believe that I froze when given the opportunity to stand up for someone even though I had been trained for this moment by my incredible high school. But when it really mattered, I froze and did absolutely nothing because I was afraid.
On May 26, 2017, an awful, evil man verbally attacked two teenagers (one Muslim and one African American), and what happened next was something you only have nightmares about. Three incredibly courageous men stood up to protect the girls and attempted to de-escalate the situation when the coward and un-American man viciously attacked the brave men, killing two of them and injuring another. Those men who stood up for those girls are heroes and it is not the teenagers' fault that they lost their lives. They lost lives because of a hateful man spouting hateful words.
As I read about this situation, I was reminded of my experience at my school and can only hope that perhaps someone will stand up for her or has stood up for her because I was too scared. And if this girl I'm writing about is reading this, or if someone knows this girl, please know or let her know how truly sorry I am for doing absolutely nothing. I will be sure to be braver and stronger in the future and stand up for what I know is right and wrong.