I want to begin by commending the students who put the teach-in together and spoke about their demands for change at this university. I have been so impressed by my peers, and all people my age, throughout this difficult time who have found the strength to speak up, voice their opinion, and be a catalyst for change. One of the most interesting parts of the teach-in to me was the discussion about the university’s empty gestures on a number of levels. With empty gestures in mind, the students spoke about the “light workload week” we were given and the fact that putting that up for interpretation from each faculty member individually was only a way to act as though they care about the students’ wellbeing. More importantly, though, the renaming of Freeman Hall to Mitchell-Freeman Hall is also an even more disrespectful empty gesture made by the Board of Trustees and the university. It was news to me that concerns over the names of the buildings had been brought up to the university in the past, and those concerns were ignored. Now that the university was under greater scrutiny, they decided to have a name change, but it does not even come close to fulfilling the requests made by faculty and students. It is clear the name was changed just to make it look like they were helping or doing something beneficial for the Richmond community. Clearly, it did not work. The Board of Trustees and others making decisions on behalf of this university have made it crystal clear that money is more important to them than the welfare of their students, and especially the welfare of Black students who have voiced concerns that have not been respected. Additionally, I think it is very important that it was emphasized that the burden to start and hold conversations about racial injustice is falling on black students and faculty, which is extremely damaging. As stated in the teach-in, it should not take the suffering of black lives for people to notice, and we all need to be held accountable in making changes to this university, the larger Richmond community, and the world.