Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was born on October 29, 1938, in Monrovia, Liberia. She was mixed with Gola and German heritage and her father was the first indigenous Liberian to sit on the national legislature. As a child, she was schooled in the United States. After school in the U.S., she moved back to Liberia and graduated from The College of West Africa at Monrovia. At age 17, she married a man named James Sirleaf, and they were later divorced. She later went to Madison Business College to get her degree in economics from the University of Colorado and a Master of Public Administration degree from Harvard University. Ellen went back to Liberia, and was an assistant for minister of Finance President William Tolbert’s administration. This was the start of her political career. However, her road to success took a sharp turn. She decided to run for a seat in Senate in 1985, but spoke against Samuel Dole’s regime, so she was sentenced to 10 years in prison. She didn’t serve the whole ten years and decided to move to Washington D.C. She again went back to Liberia and worked as an economist for World Bank and Citibank. From 1992 o 1997, she was the director of the Regional Bureau for Africa of the United Nations Development Programme. In 1990, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf ran against Charles Taylor and was not successful. In 2005, Ellen Johnson took over the Unity Party from Charles Taylor, and was then elected to Liberian presidency. She was inaugurated in 2006, and became known as the world’s first elected black female president, and Africa’s first elected female head of state. She then became known as the “Iron Lady”. In 2011, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf won the Nobel Peace Prize along with Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman for women’s rights. Ellen Johnson’s contributions to the nation and community was that furthered women’s rights, ended civil strife and corruption, establish unity, and to rebuild the country’s infrastructure. Ellen
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was born on October 29, 1938, in Monrovia, Liberia. She was mixed with Gola and German heritage and her father was the first indigenous Liberian to sit on the national legislature. As a child, she was schooled in the United States. After school in the U.S., she moved back to Liberia and graduated from The College of West Africa at Monrovia. At age 17, she married a man named James Sirleaf, and they were later divorced. She later went to Madison Business College to get her degree in economics from the University of Colorado and a Master of Public Administration degree from Harvard University. Ellen went back to Liberia, and was an assistant for minister of Finance President William Tolbert’s administration. This was the start of her political career. However, her road to success took a sharp turn. She decided to run for a seat in Senate in 1985, but spoke against Samuel Dole’s regime, so she was sentenced to 10 years in prison. She didn’t serve the whole ten years and decided to move to Washington D.C. She again went back to Liberia and worked as an economist for World Bank and Citibank. From 1992 o 1997, she was the director of the Regional Bureau for Africa of the United Nations Development Programme. In 1990, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf ran against Charles Taylor and was not successful. In 2005, Ellen Johnson took over the Unity Party from Charles Taylor, and was then elected to Liberian presidency. She was inaugurated in 2006, and became known as the world’s first elected black female president, and Africa’s first elected female head of state. She then became known as the “Iron Lady”. In 2011, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf won the Nobel Peace Prize along with Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman for women’s rights. Ellen Johnson’s contributions to the nation and community was that furthered women’s rights, ended civil strife and corruption, establish unity, and to rebuild the country’s infrastructure. Ellen