Liberian President Johnson Sirleaf shares Nobel Peace Prize

(Johnson Sirleaf addresses crowd after speech in Atlanta, Ga. in 2007 when blogger Tomi Johnson ((l)) was a reporter.)

Oslo, Norway...The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2011 is to be divided in three equal parts between Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work. "We cannot achieve democracy and lasting peace in the world unless women obtain the same opportunities as men to influence developments at all levels of society," the Committee declared.

According to Wikipedia, Johnson Sirleaf was born October 29, 1938, "and is the 24th and current President of Liberia. She served as Minister of Finance under President William Tolbert from 1979 until the 1980 coup d'état, after which she left Liberia and held senior positions at various financial institutions. Johnson Sirleaf is the first and currently only elected female head of state in Africa."

"Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is Africa’s first democratically elected female president. Since her inauguration in 2006, she has contributed to securing peace in Liberia, to promoting economic and social development, and to strengthening the position of women," said the Nobel Committee in a press release today.

Johnson Sirleaf sings Liberian National Anthem.

President Johnson Sirleaf, also known as “Iron Lady”, “Titanium Wonder,” and “Superwoman Wannabee,” survived a fire at her presidential palace on Independence Day 2006. When Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was asked what she expected from Liberians living at home and abroad, she answered firmly, “Commitment, honesty, hard work, peace.”

"It is the Norwegian Nobel Committee’s hope that the prize to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman will help to bring an end to the suppression of women that still occurs in many countries, and to realise the great potential for democracy and peace that women can represent."

In her home country, President Johnson Sirleaf can make significant contributions if she accepts technological challenges, surrounds herself with the right people; and takes advantage of the World Bank’s Governance and Economic Management Assistance Program (GEMAP) and the U.S. Government’s Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).

Other challenges still facing Johnson Sirleaf include security, the economy, infrastructure improvements, tourism, human rights, good governance, and health care. In employment, it has been reported that ghost names still remain on the government payroll.

Johnson Sirleaf is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the first black sorority founded in the U.S. in 1908 and incorporated in 1913. According to the sorority's website, Johnson Sirleaf is a member of Eta Beta Omega Chapter, the sorority's first international chapter, chartered in 1957.

Photos: Atlanta's Four Seasons Hotel in 2007.
©2007 Kurk D. Johnson. All rights reserved.
Article: ©2011 Tomi Johnson. All rights reserved.