In response to Dana Schutz’s Open Casket (2016), a painting produced by a white woman that aestheticizes the murder of Emmett Till, Parker Bright and others commenced what was at once a protest, a performance, and a teach-in. Schutz’s painting was a part of the Whitney Biennial in 2017 and quickly became the subject of debate; did Schutz have the right to create such a work that capitalized on the pain of black mothers? How much of her painting Open Casket was self-serving, or, did she think she could absolve her white guilt by painting such a work even if her motive was to invoke empathy in others? Bright points out that no, empathy is not enough, and calls attention to Schutz being out of line in her creation. While the painting was on display in the museum, Bright stood in front of it for hours, blocking it from visitors. He engages with the audience, answering questions as they come, explaining that Schutz made an offensive spectacle out of this death (hence the words on the back of Bright’s shirt, “Black death spectacle”). Bright turned the silent space of the museum into one of social engagement in this act.