Film Screening with Amir Dixon and Performance by the Ballroom Scene

Join us for a performance by the Ballroom Scene followed by a film screening of Black: Narratives in Boston Black Queer and Trans History, directed by Boston-based filmmaker, Amir Dixon. This program was made in collaboration with the New England Kiki Collective, Boston LesBiGay Urban Foundation, and Queer History Boston.

Thursday, October 30, 2025 

Theater, Lower Level 

6:30–7:00 pm, Performance & Introductions 
7:00–8:30 pm, Film Screening

Additionally, the Carpenter Center will be open late, from 5pm-9pm, on the last Thursday of the month as a part of ArtsThursdays, a university-wide initiative supported by Harvard University Committee on the Arts (HUCA).

Free and open to the public. 

Seating in the Carpenter Center is limited, and will be accommodated on a first come, first serve basis. To RSVP, please fill out the registration form.

Please email: [email protected] with any questions about accessing the theater. 

BLACK. Narratives in Boston Black Queer and Trans History 

Directed by Amir Dixon (USA 2022, 1:35:00) 

Boston's Black Queer & Trans History from 1970-2020. 

Spotlighting the History Makers & Pioneers who have shaped community, culture & change. Hear from the trailblazing artist, activist and survivors who have made history and created spaces by defying social norms towards freedom and community. Black. documents the history of Boston’s Black Queer & Trans defiance and possibility. From Elites, Boston's first Black Gay club founded in 1971 in Dudley, to the 2020 Black Trans Resistance March, hear the stories of survival, resistance and community from the History Makers, Pioneers, and Elders. 

Amir Dixon is an award-winning filmmaker, visual artist, and the Founder & Creative Director of ANI (Amir Now Inc.), a full-service creative and visual design firm. ANI’s mission is to advance health and economic equity within communities of color and other marginalized groups. Dixon explains, “I started ANI to create work that disrupts social norms, amplifies the voices of the marginalized, and has a direct impact on the lives of our most vulnerable—through art.” Dixon is also the Director of the award-winning film BLACK: Narratives in Boston’s Black Queer & Trans History, a groundbreaking work that highlights the rich and complex stories of Boston’s Black LGBTQ+ community. Dixon has been recognized as one of The Advocate Magazine’s “40 Under 40” and is a recipient of the Black Pride Heritage Award. His work has been featured in Ebony Magazine, Buzzfeed, Advocate Magazine, The Rainbow Times, and other outlets.