Allen Kwabena Frimpong is one of the organizers of Black Lives Matter in New York City, and is a philanthropic strategist and capacity-builder. Much of his work has been developing transformative ways to support and fund organizations and individuals in building social movements.
He cut his teeth as the International Network Coordinator for the Youth RISE network for young people impacted by drug use. He has been organizing toward achieving equity and justice for vulnerable children and families & has studied network theory and social movements for over 10 years.
Tamara Shapiro is the coordinator of Movement Netlab. Previously she was one of the lead coordinators of Occupy Sandy, the most effective citizen-led relief effort in U.S. history, as well as Rockaway Wildfire and Worker Owned Rockaway Cooperatives that emerged from it. She was also a lead strategist and facilitator of the InterOccupy network and created and implemented a networked hub structure for The People’s Climate March, the largest climate march in history. In addition to Movement Netlab, she is currently the Program Co-Director of the New York City Network of Worker Cooperatives and works at The Murphy Institute for Labor Studies.
Pablo Benson-Silva a native Puerto Rican, obtained an M.A. in Sociology from The New School for Social Research. Pablo was heavily involved in the Occupy Sandy relief effort as a site coordinator for the network’s first donation and volunteer distribution hub and helped design the Worker Owned Rockaway Cooperatives program that emerged from it. Through his participation in Occupy Wall Street, he helped cofound various projects, including the Spanish language newspaper Indignación and the Spanish General Assembly. Pablo is connected to networked movements in Spain and Mexico through his most recent research project with “Networks, Movements, and Technopolitics” at the Internet Interdisciplinary Institute at the University of Catalunya and his involvement in the Ayotzinapa. Pablo is currently Co-Director of Programs at NYC Network Of Worker Cooperatives.
Samantha Corbin was a key organizer within the Occupy Sandy effort from the beginning, which soon became arguably the fastest and most effective humanitarian relief effort in US history. Sam had a front row seat to the effort’s explosive development and evolution, and was pivotal in crafting the effort’s network based approach. She currently cofacilitator of The Wildfire Project, a long term organizing a training collective. She was an organizer for the Peoples Climate March and is the Actions Director for The Other 98%.
June Holley has been weaving economic and community networks for more than 25 years. In 1981 she discovered complexity science and became intrigued with the process of transformation. How could communities change in ways that would make them good places for everyone? With others in Appalachian Ohio, she catalyzed cascades of experimentation, observing and documenting the dynamics that enabled many hundreds of people to start and then expand businesses. With these entrepreneurs, she mobilized dozens of area organizations to collaborate, selforganize and create an environment that would help these businesses innovate and work together.
Gan Golan is a NY Times bestselling artist and author and was a cofacilitator of the Arts & Culture working group of Occupy Wall Street. He has bottomlined several occupybased art projects interventions using the NxN approach, most recently Tax Evaders which took place simultaneously in 12 cities. Gan worked as an arts coordinator for The Peoples Climate March and is currently a member of the People’s Climate Arts Collective.
Kei Williams is a queer transmasculine identified community organizer with #BlackLivesMatter, NYC Chapter. A self-taught visual artist & graphic designer, they assist small businesses and nonprofit organizations with communications, marketing, and social media. With nearly 10 years experience in project coordination & design, Kei consults with entrepreneurs in order to sustain the economic development, along with the affirming of Black culture. Their organizing started in high school when they created the “Underground Café, located in Central NY which caters to the needs of inner-city youth from low-income families. Ever since, they have been dedicated to addressing the impacts of racism and sexism that have generationally plagued the communities of Black folks and people of color.
Prioritizing intersectionality of race and gender, Kei works to create opportunities and make space for those who are marginalized within the margins. Centering those who are queer, gender non-binary and transgender, and those who suffer from mental illness, the aims of their work is to transform the narrative from an individual to a systemic analysis of structural racism. They have also photographed national convenings, demonstrations, and other social justice events in efforts to create historical records and archives of movement work.
Kei is passionate about film, travel, food, mellow-hop music, and their city – New York.