PORTLAND and LEWISTON — Cross Cultural Community Services (CCCS), in partnership with many community-based organizations, is celebrating Black History Month with its fourth annual Community Wellness Fair, with events planned in Portland and Lewiston. 

First established in 2020 to educate black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) about COVID and how the community could support each other during the pandemic, the event will this year explore the theme of Trauma, Grief, Hope and Joy: Exploring the social determinants of mental healthcare.

The fair will take place Thursday, February 29 and Friday, March 1, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each day, and will include four panel sessions per day, along with a resource fair where health-related materials and supports will be available. A welcome video in languages spoken in Maine, including ASL interpreters, will play at the beginning of each session. 

On Thursday, February 29, at Gateway Community Services, 501 Forest Avenue, Portland, field experts will participate in panel discussions on topics including Mental Health and Race, Hope and Joy, Trauma and Grief, and Substance Use.

On Friday, March 1, at the Royal Oak Room, 1 Bates Street, Lewiston, field experts will present panels on Mental Health and Race, Hope and Joy, Disability Justice and Reproductive Justice.

Light breakfast and lunch will be provided.

Admission is free but pre-registration is required at https://forms.gle/3hiM5w95EUKHriR59 as seats are limited.

ASL Interpretation will be provided onsite.

For more information, contact Cross Cultural Community Services at adr@crossculturalcommunityservices.org.

This event is co-sponsored by Northern Light Health, The Nature Conservancy, Sister’s Deli, Forage Market, The Permanent Commission: On the Status of Racial, Indigenous, and Tribal Populations, Gateway Community Services, Maine Family Planning, MaineHealth, Frannie Peabody Center, Children’s Oral Health Network, Maine Health Access Foundation, and the Maine Office of Behavioral Health StrengthenME Program.