Edmonds, a senior from Loudoun County, said forums like the one Tuesday night were helpful in confronting issues head-on. The woman who made the video, she added, "had she been able to talk to somebody about whatever she was going through, maybe she wouldn't have reacted in that way. Clearly she's hurt about something — she has a lot of hate in her heart. It helps to let that out — in other ways."

They had already planned a meeting by a campus group promoting diversity and inclusion for Thursday, Edmonds said, with the topic being free speech.

"It'll have an interesting little twist," Edmonds said. "We'll use it as a way to pull us closer together."

Taylor said the forum Tuesday night gave him a sense of hope because black leaders, school officials and students gathered together, and "people were scared but we're all going to stick up for each other. We have an inclusive campus for a reason — we care about each other — and things like this will be fought."