A new virtual reality hub is taking users through the life of Michael Sterling, an African-American boy who experiences racism.

The hub is located at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

The experience is called “1,000 Cut Journey” and is intended to help viewers experience the social realities of racism by transforming them to look like Sterling. 

Co-creator Tobin Asher says users can see the boy at three different stages in his life and see how he lives through the impact of discrimination.

"Racism isn't any one thing," he says. "How it builds up, how it cuts away at your humanity – this is 1,000 cut journey."

The project is a collaboration between the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment and the NYU Tandon School of Engineering.

Organizers say the demonstration is part of a new center that will serve virtual reality, research and training.