The Incredible Story of Liberia’s First Black Female President
Long before she made history as Africa’s first elected female president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was a political prisoner who faced severe persecution. Yet, every trial only sharpened her resolve. Around this time in 2011, her tireless fight for democracy earned her the Nobel Peace Prize—just days before Liberians overwhelmingly re-elected her to lead them into a era of stability. Today, her legacy stands as an testament to courage, women’s empowerment, and freedom—and The Root is giving the trailblazer her flowers weeks before her 88th birthday Oct. 29.
Born in Monrovia, Bound for History
At 17, she married James Sirleaf, a teacher, in Monrovia. By 32, she was a Harvard graduate ready for the world stage. The mother of four sons—who worked as a bookkeeper for an auto-repair shop—began her career in Liberia’s Treasury Department after studying accounts and economics at the College of West Africa in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia.
She traveled to America in 1961 and continued her studies at the University of Colorado and Harvard University from 1969 to 1971, gaining a masters degree in public administration.
Uncompromising Integrity
She then became the Assistant Minister of Finance in 1972 under President William Tolbert before clashing with government officials over spending and leaving for the World Bank—unknowingly preparing her to rescue a shattered nation’s economy from the ashes of war years later.
Speaking the Truth
Whilst in that position, she gained attention with a bombshell speech in 1972, when she famously claimed to the Liberian Chamber of Commerce that the country’s corporations were harming the economy by sending their profits overseas.
The Refusal to be Silent
In April 1980, when Master Sergeant Samuel Doe seized power in a brutal military coup, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was one of the few government leaders who refused to fall in line. She was one of only four cabinet ministers spared execution during Doe’s violent coup, but decided to return after Doe declared himself the president of the Republic in 1984 in a dictatorship.
RELATED: OPINION: Invest In The Women Who Feed Africa
During the 1985 elections, Johnson Sirleaf campaigned against Doe, but was placed under house arrest after she repeatedly blasted Doe’s regime for corrupt fiscal policy and human rights abuses.
Violent Intimidation
Facing constant death threats for speaking truth to power, Sirleaf was ultimately forced to flee into exile in Kenya, where she served as the vice president of Citicorp’s Africa Regional Office in Nairobi. She later moved to Washington, D.C., to assume the position of senior loan officer at the World Bank and the vice president for Equator Bank.
Sentenced to Prison
In September 1985, she spoke out against the military regime once again. As a result, she was placed under house arrest before being found guilty of sedition—conduct that incites people to rebel, revolt, or use violence against an established government or lawful authority— and sentenced to 10 years in a prison camp.
Bowing to intense international pressure, the regime released her early, forcing Sirleaf to flee the country in secret to survive.
Political Exile
Fleeing Liberia under cover of darkness, Sirleaf spent the next two decades mobilizing global support from Washington, Nairobi, and Geneva. She took massive political risks—including a failed 1997 presidential bid against warlord Charles Taylor, the New York Times reported, refusing to let two civil wars destroy her homeland.
The Road to the Presidency
By the time Taylor was forced out in 2003, Sirleaf became the only leader left standing with the credibility, international stature, and iron resolve to rebuild Liberia. Today, she’s known as “Africa’s Iron Lady“— and for good reason.
The Ballots That Made World History
In November 2005, following the end of Liberia’s grueling fourteen-year civil war, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf did what once seemed impossible: she defeated soccer icon George Weah in a democratic runoff election to become president of Liberia. Her victory marked a seismic turning point for the continent, crowning her as Africa’s first democratically elected female head of state.
A Historic Win
Her inauguration on January 16, 2006, in front of world dignitaries was a transfer of power, a global triumph for female representation, and democratic governance. But the win didn’t come without enormous hurdles.
A Country’s Rebirth
Facing billions in foreign debt and destroyed infrastructure, President Sirleaf immediately rolled up her sleeves to get to work. During her two terms as president, Johnson Sirleaf attracted over $16 billion in foreign direct investment, more than $5 million in private resources to rebuild schools, clinics and markets, and fund scholarships, according to her bio.
She also successfully negotiated $4.6 billion in external debt forgiveness and the lifting of UN trade sanctions, which have allowed Liberia to once again access international markets, increasing the national budget from $80 million in 2006 to over $672 million in 2012.
Well-deserved Global Acclaim
Recognized as a global leader for women’s empowerment, President Sirleaf was awarded the prestigious Nobel Prize for Peace in 2011. She’s also the recipient of the United States’ highest civilian award, The Presidential Medal of Freedom, for her personal courage and unwavering commitment to expanding freedom and improving the lives of Africans.
Honoring an Icon
Today, weeks before Ellen Johnson Sirleaf turns 88 years old on Oct. 29, the grandmother to six children is continuing to champion female leadership across Africa, mentoring the next generation of women leaders through her foundation, The Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center for Women and Development (EJS Center), and advocating globally for public health and democratic governance.
