The Article 20 Network was formed by activists whose personal experiences convinced them that, despite a blooming global protest movement, encroachments on and negative attitudes toward public demonstrations were threatening expression. Someone had to stand up for those who stand up.
The Article 20 Network defends and advances the human right to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly worldwide.
Here's how.
The Article 20 Network calls attention to abridgments of and assaults on the freedom of assembly and fosters positive public attitudes toward assembly and its practitioners.
Our team brings a variety of experiences as human rights scholars, lawyers, nonviolence experts, and activists. Together, we form a passionate, results-driven team devoted to a vision of humanity enjoying the benefits of thriving democracies perpetually balanced by public demonstration.
Our Team
Dan Aymar-Blair
Executive Director, Founder
Dan is a lifelong activist and political blogger. The first assembly he organized was a high school walk-out and rally protesting Operation Desert Storm. Dan has made a career as an operations executive for fast-growing organizations including non-profits. Dan studied political science from the George Washington University and non-profit management at New York University.
Samantha Desire
Director of Strategic Partnerships
Samantha is a long time Brooklyn-based organizer, as well as, a Brooklyn native. As a passionate advocate and organizer, much of her community work has focused on issues affecting youth and immigrants. Samantha started organizing with the National Coalition of Concerned Legal Professionals. Since 2010, she has helped to coordinate multiple local Haitian relief efforts. Since 2013 Samantha has been a core coordinating volunteer of the Left Forum conference. Samantha obtained her Masters Degree in Political Science with a concentration in Urban Policy and Public Administration from Brooklyn College.
Our Board of Directors
Venus Devnani McClelland CHAIR
Venus has spent her career working at the convergence of civil and social justice, supporting marginalized communities through policy reform, education, social programs, technology and systems-level change initiatives. Venus is Executive Vice President of American Jewish World Service (AJWS), where she leads the Executive Leadership Team in advancing human rights throughout Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. Prior to joining AJWS, Venus served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Program Officer of Step Up Women’s Network, the nonprofit organization working to close the opportunity gap, transcend gender and racial inequities, and advance families and communities through social emotional learning and mentorship. Venus is the proud daughter of immigrants, a first-generation American and a first-generation college graduate. She holds a Bachelor of Science in International Business with concentrations in Finance, Entrepreneurship, and French from Northeastern University and also studied at the Reims Management School in France. She is also certified in diversity, equity, and inclusion methodologies. Venus lives in the United States and is passionate about social justice, human rights, immigrant issues, literacy, animal welfare, and issues surrounding girls and women.
ANTHONY GIANCATARINO VICE CHAIR
The happy partner and dad of two amazing kids in Philadelphia, Anthony is currently a Fellow at the Movement Strategy Innovation Center working with community leaders and organizations to support radical, transformative collaboration and alignment around racial and economic justice. Anthony collaborates with POWER and various local leaders on organization, strategy and policy development to support a vision for just transition across urban, rural, and suburban communities. Anthony spent seven years at the Center for Social Inclusion, working with community organizations to achieve racial equity in energy democracy, food equity, and transparent governance. Anthony holds a Masters of Public Administration from NYU and a degree in Theology and Political Science from the University of Scranton.
MICHAEL HAMILTON
As an Associate Professor of Public Protest Law at the University of East Anglia in Norwich (UK), Michael’s research and teaching focuses on the legal protection of dissent and the right of peaceful assembly. His doctoral thesis examined the role of a human rights framework in resolving disputes about contested parades in Northern Ireland (where he grew up) and he holds an LLB from the University of Kent and a Masters in Irish Studies from Queen’s University, Belfast. Michael has been involved in the monitoring of protest policing in different countries and is a member of both the OSCE Panel of Experts on Freedom of Assembly and the Netpol Lawyers Group.
KRISTINE HANSEN
Kristine is a practicing attorney in Washington, DC. During law school, she conducted a review of international corrupt practices laws for an international membership organization. Prior to attending law school, Kristine served as political appointee for a United States Senator. Kristine also worked domestically and internationally to advance the political and economic advancement of women and underserved populations through international development programs, legislative policy platforms, and leadership trainings for an international development firm and a non-profit progressive policy think tank. When not working, Kristine enjoys travel, photography, and art.
Daniel Simons
Freedom of speech and assembly are red threads in Daniel's career. Trained as a lawyer in Amsterdam and New York City, he currently resides in Copenhagen and serves as a legal counsel for Greenpeace International. Daniel has advised activists and been involved in a wide range of assembly-related legal proceedings in different countries, as well as occasionally taking to the streets himself.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The Article 20 Network is an organization with a unique and singular focus. We are concerned with the defense and advancement of one fundamental human right: The right of people to gather peacefully in a public forum to express a shared point of view — the freedom of assembly.
We know that the work we do cannot exist without the core principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion at the center of our organization - our people, our policies and practices, and the support we offer to every citizen of the world.
Article 20 Network commits to championing equitable policies and practices of equity to empower a just, inclusive, equitable world where the freedom to peaceful assembly, the voice of the silenced and disenfranchised, is upheld and promoted.
Article 20 Network pledges to:
- Welcome a diverse slate of board members representative of expansive world views and lived experiences;
- Seek further education on unconscious bias, critical race theory, and inclusion as we offer resources, tools, and supports to communities around the world in peaceful assembly.