LGBTQIA Alliance + NOMA: Creating Homeplace
August 7 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
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Creating Homeplace: A Mental Health Perspective on Preserving Space for Black Queer Communities
Please join NOMA of Central Texas and AIA Austin’s LGBTQIA+ Alliance on Wednesday, August 7, 2024 from 6:00 – 8:00pm, at The Commune, to celebrate Austin Pride with a lecture on the importance of designing inclusive cultural spaces from Dr. Marlon Johnson, an Austin-based mental health professional and counseling professor. Refreshments and bites will be provided.
Spaces are limited and registration is required. General admission $15; Student admission $5. Register Here. All sales are final.
Lecture Synopsis
Culture, heritage, and space have always been linked to Black and Queer Wellness. Finding spaces where someone can feel safe to be their authentic self can help reinforce the mental and emotional resources needed to navigate racism, homophobia, transphobia, and other forms of violence. This presentation is grounded in bell hooks’ exploration of homeplace with Dr. Johnson’s research about racial trauma and racial healing for queer bodies. Using the Queered Model for Black Identity Development, Dr. Johnson will help participants to look at architecture and design as an opportunity to help others consider the necessity of belonging in space. Come define your “why” when designing inclusive cultural spaces for all communities involved.
Marlon Johnson, PhD, LPC (TX), LPC-MHSP (TN), NCC Bio
Dr. Marlon Johnson (He/Him) serves as an Assistant Professor of Counselor Education at Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, where he prepares individuals to become culturally-inclusive and spiritually-integrated mental health professionals. He is also a licensed professional counselor at his private practice in Austin, Texas. Dr. Johnson’s clinical work centers Black mental wellness, queer and trans-inclusive mental healthcare, and community racial healing activities. He utilizes Narrative and Quare theories to help clients feel seen and safe to explore their identities and experiences within the counseling environment. Dr. Johnson trains students and scholars to think critically about cultural inclusion and advocacy within the realms of assessment, career interventions, and counseling practice. As a researcher and advocate, he integrates an intersectional framework to help communities explore Black and Queer identity development, gay male relationship longevity, strategies for racial healing, and mental health access and equity.
Thank you, NOMA and AIA Austin LGBTQIA+ Alliance Sponsors!
