2006 -- H 7904 ======LC02811 ======STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2006 ______
H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N
WELCOMING LIBERIAN PRESIDENT ELLEN JOHNSON-SIRLEAF TO THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS
Introduced By: Representatives Diaz, Williams, Slater, Almeida, and Rice
Date Introduced: March 16, 2006
Referred To: House read and passed
1 WHEREAS, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Liberia’s first woman president, is a woman of
2 extraordinary accomplishments. After more than twenty years of civil war, during which time no
3 public elections could be held, Ms. Johnson-Sirleaf won the general election to become the first
4 women leader in all of Africa; and
5 WHEREAS, A brilliant and highly educated woman, President Johnson-Sirleaf studied
6 accounts and economics at the College of West Africa. In 1961, after marrying James Sirleaf, she
7 traveled to America to continue her education. She attained a degree from the University of
8 Colorado, studied economics at Harvard, and received a Master’s Degree in Public
9 Administration, also from Harvard; and
10 WHEREAS, President Johnson-Sirleaf returned to Liberia and began her career in
11 government. She has served as Minister of Finance, but as the country became divided she left
12 her position. She later had to flee to Kenya after a bloody military coup in her country; and
13 WHEREAS, By 1985, President Johnson-Sirleaf had returned to Liberia to campaign
14 against Samuel Doe of the People’s Redemption Council. She was once again briefly imprisoned
15 and forced to live in exile. During her exile she served as Vice President of both the African
16 Regional Office of Citibank and the Equator Bank; and
17 WHEREAS, President Johnson-Sirleaf served as the Assistant Administrator and later as
18 the Director to the UN Development Program Regional Bureau until 1996, at which time she
19 returned to Liberia for the election. By 1999 Civil War once again overtook the country. On 1 November 23, 2005, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf became the first women President of Liberia as well as
2 the first elected female leader in Africa; and
3 WHEREAS, Liberia has historical ties with America and has provided unwavering
4 support for the United States by allowing U.S. military airstrips to be established in their country
5 and adopting a policy of special cooperation and friendship. In addition, the U.S., as well as
6 Rhode Island, have a very large Liberian community, with an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 people
7 of Liberian descent living in the Ocean State; and
8 WHEREAS, President Johnson-Sirleaf has achieved goals that very few people would
9 have dared to dream were even possible. She has overcome gender barriers and decades of civil
10 war in order to become president of her country, and we know she will serve her people
11 honorably and courageously; now, therefore be it
12 RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and
13 Providence Plantations hereby welcomes President Johnson-Sirleaf to our state; and be it further
14 RESOLVED, That this House hereby congratulates President Johnson-Sirleaf on
15 becoming the first woman president in Liberia, and wish her much success as she works towards
16 the betterment of her country for the people of Liberia and the world community; and be it further
17 RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is authorized and directed to
18 transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and the
19 Liberian Association of Rhode Island.
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