Austin-East and University of Tennessee graduate Bianca Crawford, a.k.a Bianca Belair, has a large platform as a WWE superstar. She and her husband Terrence Crawford, a.k.a WWE superstar Montez Ford, are using their platforms to create positive changes in society.
With protests taking place in Knoxville, and around the country, against racial injustice, Belair and Ford created TheCultureConnection.org.
According to the website's mission statement, its purpose is "to assist those who want to take action, advocate, learn, and more but don’t know where to look or start."
"This website is kind of like a gateway or starting point for [people] to start educating themselves and start to figure out things that they don't know or ways they can get involved," Ford said.
The Culture Connection features separate sections that feature books, stories and documentaries about black history, black culture and systemic racism. There are also sections that feature black-owned businesses, little-known black history facts and organizations to donate to.
The couple is working on a new section of the website that will consist of videos and articles on life skills, such as resume building, finances and mental health.
"We really wanted to do something that had more of an impact, besides just tweeting and posting...something other than what everyone else had already said because we, obviously, felt the same way," Belair said.
Belair and Ford want their website to have a lasting effect and depend on input from visitors to expand the knowledge available. They want anyone with information on petitions, donations, events, books and documentaries to contact them at thecultureconnection.contact@gmail.com.