On October 30, 2025, the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts at Harvard University became the stage for a vibrant and intersectional evening of culture, performance, and storytelling. The event, part of the university’s ongoing “Arts Thursdays” initiative, brought together students, artists, and community members for a night that celebrated Black queer and trans history in Boston through the lenses of both cinema and live performance.
The evening began with a dynamic showcase from Boston’s local ballroom scene, a subculture historically rooted in Black and Latinx LGBTQ+ communities. Ballroom culture, known for its expressive dance forms, fashion, and competitive performance categories, has long been a space for self-expression, resilience, and chosen family among marginalized groups. By bringing this live performance to the university setting, the event offered an opportunity for attendees to experience a form of cultural expression that is both artistically rich and socially significant.
Following the ballroom presentation, the event transitioned to a screening of Black: Narratives in Boston Black Queer and Trans History, a film directed by Boston-based filmmaker Amir Dixon. The documentary weaves together oral histories, archival footage, and personal narratives to illuminate the lives and legacies of Black queer and trans individuals in the city. Dixon’s work is known for centering stories that are often overlooked, and the film serves as a poignant reminder of the complex histories that shape Boston’s LGBTQ+ communities.
The hybrid nature of the program—blending live performance with documentary film—highlights a growing trend in academic and cultural institutions to create more immersive and inclusive programming. By combining art forms, the event not only deepened audience engagement but also reflected the multiplicity of ways that stories can be told and histories preserved.
Organized by the Harvard University Committee on the Arts, the event exemplified the Arts Thursdays initiative’s mission to uplift underrepresented voices and foster dialogue through creative expression. It also pointed to a larger shift in how universities approach community engagement, increasingly seeing the arts as a vehicle for social connection and critical reflection.
Audience members responded enthusiastically, many noting the importance of bringing such programming into academic spaces where it can influence both scholarship and student activism. For members of the Boston queer and trans community in attendance, the evening served not just as entertainment, but as affirmation—a moment of visibility and recognition within an institution historically perceived as distant from grassroots cultural movements.
Events like this are part of a broader movement within the arts and higher education to center intersectional experiences and provide platforms for marginalized communities to share their stories on their own terms. By hosting a program that celebrates the lived experiences and cultural contributions of Black queer and trans individuals, Harvard continues to signal its growing commitment to inclusion and equity in the arts.
