Monrovia – In November 2004, the Press Union of Liberia broke a 40-year spell by electing Elizabeth Hoff as its first woman President. Ahead of another election next month, Facia Boyenoh Harris, a journalist, feminist and women’s advocate will be hoping to end more than a decade wait to follow Hoff’s feat.
Harris entered the presidential race of the PUL at the stroke of deadline Tuesday, filing the necessary paperwork in hopes unseating incumbent President Charles B. Coffey.
Coffey is currently in the middle of a storm amongst his peers following the union’s decision to reprimand Roots FM and Freedom FM leading to a recent clampdown on Roots by the government. While Freedom finds itself in a similar shoe as Roots, it remains on the air, prompting many journalists to question Mr. Coffey’s leadership ability.
The PUL leadership clamped down on the two radio stations for what it called an increased wave of invectives and profanities on the two stations it feared could lead to another case of Rwanda. The union declared Roots FM and Freedom as Hate Speech institutions and two of the media institutions’ reporters who had gone to cover the meeting were disallowed by Coffey.
Window of Opportunity for Women
The state of uncertainty within the union has left the race wide open and put Coffey’s re-election in jeopardy with many describing the race between him and the controversial Octavin Williams as a case of the lesser of two evils.
More than a decade after Elizabeth Hoff Broke the spell as the First Woman to Lead Liberia’s Press Union, Facia Harris Aiming to Break Decade-old Spell, Offering an alternative to Lesser-of-Two Evil race between incumbent Charles and his controversial vice Octavin Williams
Prior to Harris entering the race, Coffey’s only rival was his current vice president, Williams.
The leadership suspended Williams in December 2018 for time indefinite and mandated him to face the National Media Council to answer to charges of disrespect to the general membership which represents congress. The action was taken after PUL Vice President Williams refused to attend the mass meeting of the PUL and publicly expressed support for Minister Nagbe’s characterization of the union as a “useless” body. Nearly a year later, the union lifted Mr. Williams’ suspension.
For Harris, the current division has left the door wide open for a strong female candidate to come in and weather the storm of uncertainty.
Currently, the Director for Outreach and Sensitization at the Independent Information Commission, which implements the Country’s Freedom of Information Law, Harris has been an activist for women’s rights, gender equality and social justice and has in the past decade, worked on building institutions and bridging gaps.
Harris is a founding member and Program Coordinator of a progressive young women’s focused organization in Liberia and serves on a number of other related organizations and networks.
A passionate activist for the development of young people in Liberia, Harris believes that ‘people are different and those differences must be acknowledged and respected- giving every person equal opportunity and space to exist’.
Harris holds an MPA in Public Sector Management from the Cuttington Graduate School, a BA Degree in Sociology from the African Methodist Episcopal University in Liberia, and diplomas in Journalism and psychosocial counseling.
She is 2008 Columba University Oral History and Law Fellow and IREX 2015 Community Solutions program fellow with focus on Gender and Women Issues.
Harris is also a former Community Solutions Program Fellow(2015) at the George Mason University and another fellowship – Summer Institute on Oral History, Advocacy and Law – Columbia University, NY, USA, June 2008.
She has more than nine years working experience as a Journalist with the United Nations Missions in Liberia, UNMIL Radio; and has dedicated significant parts of her life on volunteerism with over fifteen years of active on-going volunteerism involvement.
Harris is an experienced Journalist with focus reporting on human rights issues, particularly women and girls. She most recently worked with the United Nations Mission in Liberia Radio Station. She has over ten years’ practical experience working as a volunteer on gender issues with the Paramount Young Women Initiative, inspiring girls through advocacy, planning and implementing educational programs. As part of her participation in the fellowship, Ms. Harris seeks to acquire adequate knowledge and skills on gender programming, especially for women and girls that will help effect practical changes. Ms. Harris intends to enhance girls and young women ability to progressively engage their parents, community and national leaderships through dialogue on issues that promotes their wellbeing and bridge gender gaps.
All-Female Leadership?
Besides Harris, Mrs. Weemon Jallah Cole-Boyce, a former Program Director at the Liberia Woman Democracy Radio, former Reporter / French Newscaster at the Liberia Broadcasting System, has also threw her hat in the race for Vice President.
The PUL, founded on September 30, 1964 by a group of independent journalists, serves as an umbrella organization for media professionals and institutions to advocate for press freedom and the legal protection of journalists.
The union boasts more than 500 journalists as members under its umbrella. Full membership is granted to Liberian journalists with degrees in journalism or mass communication and who have practiced for two years. Foreign media personnel are often offered associate membership and organizations like the Sports Writers Association of Liberia and the Economic Journalists Association receive institutional membership.