The five finalists for the Sixth Annual Maria Leavey Tribute Award have been announced, honoring the person in the progressive movement whose behind-the-scenes work and selfless service has made an invaluable contribution to social justice. The public is invited to vote for their favorite, and the winner will be announced at the June 18-20 Take Back the American Dream conference — click here to register. We’ll be introducing you to the five finalists on the blog over the course of the next several days, but you can read about them all, and vote, by clicking here.

Samantha Corbin
Occupy Wall Street / the Other 98%

Though there are “no leaders” in Occupy Wall Street, it is clear that when people start rising up and “lambs turn to lions,” there are always some organizers shouldering a lion’s share of the organizing responsibility in the background, even if they never get credit. Sam is one of those people at Occupy Wall Street and she has played a critical role on the ground since day 1.

Currently, she is the Actions Director for the Other 98 (also a key member of the US Uncut national team in 2011) and previously an environmental justice crusader on the Greenpeace boat along with founding the New York Action Network and being a nonviolent direct action trainer for the Ruckus Society.

With a talent for the true work of organizing, she listens carefully, plans strategically, and coordinates people to take action. She is meticulous in planning nonviolent direct actions that are creative, fun and impactful. Presently, she has been working to bring that special spark of Occupy Wall Street across the country with the 99% Spring, where she has been helping to create the national training curriculum and embolden the Progressive Movement in our strategies for change.

Sam Corbin is some of the best that Occupy Wall Street has to offer and singing the praises of this one person who has worked silently in the background to organize Occupy Wall Street will bring light to the many people who have brought economic inequality back to the forefront of the American political dialogue.