Sep 19, 2008
Posted by Caitlin Cohen
Julie Siwicki and I visited the home of Brown
University President Ruth Simmons’ today to
meet the President of Liberia, Her Excellency
Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. It is quite a
thing to be introduced to your biggest heroes
by another idol! (And they actually look a
little like each other, as well).
After
threats to her life, two long stays in exile,
and being charged with treason, President
Sirleaf became the first elected female
head-of-state in Africa. On top of that,
she is now in charge of rebuilding a nation
after 14 years of civil war. And the rest
of us think our jobs are hard!
President Sirleaf won the vote in 2005
in Liberia by mobilizing female supporters and
quadrupling the number of women registered to
vote. She is an inspiration to us all, a
testament to the unbelievable power of an iron
will.
Julie and I are extremely
honored to have had this opportunity. I am
flipping through photos now of our women
leaders in Mali, trying to guess which of them
will be the next Iron Lady. I have no
doubt that one of them could be
president. And if not this time, I am
sure that they will mobilize women to pick the
next president.
Thank you, President
Simmons and President Sirleaf.
-
Caitlin Cohen
Co-founder and U.S.
Director
