Participating demonstrators toted this message along with them on little paper cards for the National Day of Silence on Wednesday.
Organized by UNC's Queer Network for Change, the protest called for participants to remain silent throughout the day until 5 p.m.
"It's a really wonderful way to get some introspective thought," Jamie Sohn, demonstrator and QNC secretary, said after breaking her silence.
At 1:15 p.m. in Polk Place, some participants added another element to their demonstration by linking arms to form a human chain across the end of a main pathway.
Wearing white cloth gags and serious expressions, the demonstrators stood together in silence, with one member holding a sign that explained the meaning of their protest. The last line of the sign was a call to action with the words, "Think about the voices you are not hearing. What can you do to end the silence?"
Passing students were forced to walk around the chain of about 10 demonstrators, which included QNC members and others sympathetic to their cause.
The chain caught the attention of almost all passers-by during the 10 minutes the participants stood there. Some people glanced quickly while others stopped to read and soak in the message, but no one talked to the demonstrators. A strange quietness overcame the usually noisy intersection.
One passing student commented on the obstruction during her walk home. "It may be a conversation-starter, but I don't know if it'll actually do anything," said junior Jennifer Griffiths.
But another student who stopped by at the QNC information table before the chain's formation said the Day of Silence was a good way to get the group's point across. "When you talk to someone and they don't speak back, immediately there's some kind of reaction you have to give," said senior Jenny Marie Smith.
