MKE Film Cultures & Communities Fest

C&C Fest with Black Space

Black Space was given the opportunity to have a panel discussion about Cultural Competency under Milwaukee Film Festival's Culture and Community Festival (C&C Fest). C&C Fest's initiative provides year-round programming created collaboratively between artists, educational institutions, corporations, and community organizations. The purpose of C&C Fest is prioritizing diverse cultural perspectives, lived experiences, and representations of historically marginalized communities through film, conversations, events and auxiliary presentations.

Panel Discussion

This event will be held on Saturday, September 11th, 2021 from 10:00am to 12:00pm. We will be available both virtually and in-person at NŌ Studios located at 1037 West McKinley Avenue, in the first-floor café area. There will be complimentary food available by Tostada by Maranta as well as items and beverages for purchase from local vendors. Our special guest is Lauren Holiday, 2x Olympic gold medalist, FIFA Women's World Cup champion, and co-owner of the Jrue and Lauren Holiday Fund in which Black Space is a proud recipient. Finally, there will be a robust panel discussion spotlighting the importance of Cultural Competency within our corporate and community organizations featuring our wonderful moderator Melanie Ricks, On-Air Host (radio) at Good Karma Brands and Milwaukee Bucks In-Game host, and our esteemed panelists Dr. Lia A. Knox, Mental Health Consultant, Dr. Ramel Kweku Akyirefi, Psychologist, BLAQUESMITH, Ami Bedi LPC NCC, Akhilanda Consulting, Niquanna Barnett MS, LMFT-IT,RPT-IT, and Maria Elena Perez, PhD, LCSW, Vicé President of Behavioral Health at Sixteenth Street community Health Centers

Group Therapy Experience

Black Space is an in-person space dedicated to encouraging the mental wellness of Black and Brown Womxn, Black and Brown LGBTQIA+, and Black and Brown Mxn.

These sessions will start promptly at their scheduled times, so please arrive 10mins prior. Each participant will recieve a small plant donated by Maranta Plant Shop.

Saturday, September 11th, 2021

1:00pm - 3:00pm- Group Therapy Experience: Black and Brown Womxn

Sunday, September 12th, 2021

10:00am- 12:00pm- Group Therapy Experience: Black and Brown LGBTQIA+

1:00pm- 3:00pm- Group Therapy Experience: Black and Brown Mxn

The sessions will be facilitated by Dr. Lia A. Knox is the Founder & CEO of Knox Behavioral Health Solutions (KBHS) and Co-Founder of Black Space Inc. Dr. Knox received her Doctorate in Counseling Psychology from Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. She received her master's degree in Counseling Education from Concordia University in Mequon, Wisconsin, and her bachelor's degree in Psychology from Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi. Dr. Knox is a Mental Wellness Expert specializing in Cultural Competency and Organizational Health. She provides culturally relevant consultation, trainings, workshops, forums, and coaching for community, corporate, local, state, and government organizations. Dr. Knox is a highly -skilled licensed professional counselor with more than 20 years of experience providing case management and quality mental health care to underserved and under-resourced communities throughout the United States and abroad. Dr. Knox is a motivating, humorous, and energetic public speaker. She and the co-founders of Black Space Inc. have been featured on The Today Show with Carson Daley, PBS with Black Nouveau, Spectrum News One, The Sheperd Express and various other media outlets. She is the author of "The Use of Media by African American Women to Acquire Mental Health Knowledge" and has been a featured author in "Special Education Practices: Personal Narratives of African American Scholars, Educators and Related Professionals," The Journal of Contemporary Issues in Education & Research, The Hawaii Journal of Medicine & Public Health," Jet Magazine, GIRLFRIENDS Health Guide for Women of Color and UMOJA Magazine. Dr. Knox currently resides in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She serves on several professional boards and committees, including Black Space Inc, the African American Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin (AACCW), Volunteers of America-WI. & MN. (VOA) and the American Heart Association Diversity & Inclusion Impact Committee, Milwaukee, WI