“One of my major concerns with the walk out was that I never really felt welcome here. I loved the campus when I visited, but when I got here, I felt like I’ve never been more aware that I’m black until I came here, when I walk around I do see people who look like me, but I don’t see a lot of people who look like me. In the classrooms, all of the teachers are pretty much white, when I’m in class, a lot of the times, I am the only black student in class, so like, it’s a little bit uncomfortable. But at the end of the day, I am who I am. With the walk out, I am glad somebody initiated that, because to me it really shows people are willing to put their foot in the door and push for change. And with that, I’m just really hoping people are going to take it seriously and take the steps that actually are going to bring about change. These kinds of things happen in ignorance of other people's cultures, so if we are not educating people on that, then you're just gonna see the same thing happening over and over again. I want to challenge faculty and staff to step up, speak up and not just stand in the background. It also starts with them. If the classroom does not become more diverse and inclusive, we are just going to stay where we are.” Victoria Williams, U of L Senior Communications and Theatre Major #studentvoices #universityoflynchburg #thecritograph
