The Life of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf “The size of your dreams must always exceed your current capacity to achieve them. If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough”. These words are one of the most popular quotes made by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Sirleaf is currently serving as Liberia’s first female president. After years of personal hardships, political controversies, and life threatening conflicts, Sirleaf was able to rise above it and become something few people thought possible. Sirleaf was born in Monrovia, Liberia on October 29, 1938. Monrovia is the capital of Liberia, a country in West Africa with a population of over four and a half million people. Sirleaf describes the country as wonder, beautiful, and struggling to find itself (Johnson-Sirleaf, 2009). Liberia is roughly 43,000 square miles, similar in size to Ohio. It has a vast diversity of religion and ethnicity due to settlers coming from surrounding areas. Liberia has a Christian majority, followed by Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and other.
America plays a large part in the cultural development of Liberia. African Americans were sent to Liberia from America in the early 1800’s. They influenced the culture and spread …show more content…
When talking about her childhood Sirleaf says it was a happy one with stability and security. She reminisces about the visitor that came to her a short time after she was born. Her family was told that she would be great and would become a leader. Her parents were Jahmale Carney Johnson and Martha Dunbar Johnson. Her father was a politician so Sirleaf had been exposed to politics since she was a child. She recalls political events that occurred during her childhood and her father’s pursuit of becoming Speaker of the House. When he was in his forties her father had a stroke, demolishing his chances to continue climbing the political ladder and drastically changing their families
America plays a large part in the cultural development of Liberia. African Americans were sent to Liberia from America in the early 1800’s. They influenced the culture and spread …show more content…
When talking about her childhood Sirleaf says it was a happy one with stability and security. She reminisces about the visitor that came to her a short time after she was born. Her family was told that she would be great and would become a leader. Her parents were Jahmale Carney Johnson and Martha Dunbar Johnson. Her father was a politician so Sirleaf had been exposed to politics since she was a child. She recalls political events that occurred during her childhood and her father’s pursuit of becoming Speaker of the House. When he was in his forties her father had a stroke, demolishing his chances to continue climbing the political ladder and drastically changing their families