KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — March is Women's History Month, and the Beck Cultural Exchange Center held a panel that focused on the accomplishments of women and discussed racial justice. It hit close to the Knoxville community, featuring graduates from Austin-East as speakers.
Business owners, attorneys, doctors and even a celebrity joined the panel. They talked about different ways to address racial injustice and help people to understand and appreciate the differences in cultures and communities.
"To me, racial justice is the systematic fair treatment of all people, regardless of race," Bianca 'Belair' Blair said, a professional WWE wrestler. "Everyone is held accountable, everyone has the same opportunities, everyone has the same consequences. It's also being able to have faith, trust and confidence that fair treatment is the norm and that it will be sustained."
She was the first Black woman to win the Royal Rumble on WWE.
The panel was held over Zoom. It was called "The Ladies of Austin-East High School." The most recent graduate featured on the panel was Leona 'Binx' Walton, from the Class of 2014.
"I feel like we need to close the gap on wealth, income, homeownership, unconscious bias, everything that hinders and leads to the deprivation of Black people," said Attallah Stout, a program manager at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center.