Meet the Team

Essmaa Litim is a dynamic storyteller, community builder, and cultural curator whose work lives at the intersection of art and activism. She uses the power of her spoken word poetry to ignite conversations around justice, equity, and healing. She has performed in spaces like SOB’s in NYC, WGBH, Puma, Sofar Sounds, and Voices in Power at City Winery. Her latest piece, “The Laundromat”, which highlights gentrification in her neighborhood of East Boston, was published in the anthology How We Take Up Space by Nakia Hill in 2024. Essmaa released her first memoir, Speechless, in 2021, which serves as an intimate account of her family’s immigration to the United States and shares the cultural adversity they faced in raising five children in a new world. Essmaa is the founder of Femme Flo, a poetic collective curated to cultivate a community of femme poets in celebration of legacy—past, present, and future. In 2023, Essmaa was awarded the EXTRAordinary Woman award by the Mayor's Office of Women's Advancement for her commitment and dedication to her community, neighborhood, and workplace. As a first-generation American, Essmaa continues to work hard to help build the community that helped build her through believing it, speaking it, and being it.

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. Amir 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."

Amir 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. 

Amir 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.

Olivia Amaral is a multidisciplinary artist specializing in acting, singing, digital design, and marketing. A Dean College graduate with a BA in Musical Theatre, Olivia began her career during the challenging backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. In September 2022, Olivia joined Amir Now Inc. (ANI) as a Project Manager, collaborating with Amir Dixon on impactful projects such as Unbound Love: A Tribute to Two Decades of Marriage Equality Exhibit, The Black Queer Catalysts Exhibit, #Hellablack Vol. 7: Shift, and many more. Dedicated to combining creativity and strategy, Olivia thrives in creating meaningful projects that inspire change, advocate for human rights, and foster collaboration with diverse perspectives to encourage open-mindedness and understanding.