MONROVIA – Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor was taken by surprise on Thursday, January 31, when the Association of University Students of Liberia (AUSL) honored her for the ‘gladiatorial role’ in championing women leadership in Liberia.
Report by Gerald C. Koinyeneh, [email protected]
Conferring the honor at her Capitol Building office, the Public Relations Officer of the group, Siafa Kanneh noted that AUSL took the decision in recognition of VP Taylor’s numerous contributions toward Liberia and its citizenry.
Kanneh added that following the exit of former president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf from the political arena, VP Taylor has filled in the gap in championing women leadership and inspiring many girls in reaching their potential.
He recounted that through her days as Liberia’s First Lady, to becoming Senator of Bong County and now Vice President, she continues to serve her country and fellow citizens diligently and as such deserves the title of “Female Gladiator of our Time.”
“After scrutinizing the role of women in our democracy, and with the departure of Madam Sirleaf, we gathered that you have filled the gap and you continue to serve diligently,” Kanneh enthused.
He added: “You continue to be a source of inspiration for many women and young girls. So, based on your gladiatorial role, we have come to honor you and we hope this will serve as a motivation to continue your good work.
Receiving the certificate, in a rather surprised mood, VP Taylor thanked the group for the recognition and vowed to use the honor as a source of motivation to continue the more than two decades long work in public service.
“I am privileged that you have so honor me in this way. It inspires me to realize that whatever you do, people are looking, and people want you to continue and remain engage with them. I look forward to a more robust relationship with this organization; not in a political way,” she said.
The Vice president however lamented that even though more young people are now concentrated in school, majority are still lacking behind, roaming the streets and engaging in harmful practices, and as such there was a need to engage them.
Pledging her commitments to working with the students to provide scholarships and other forms of support, the Vice President admonished the them to be gladiators themselves to encourage their peers to follow their footsteps.
VP Taylor: “The world and the title said female gladiator of our time. Just gladiator by itself means you must remain strong, remain engaged and remain at the point where you transfer knowledge and capacity to others. You must keep standing; gladiators don’t fall. They don’t disengage irrespective of the challenges that they faced. People are behind you, looking at you, being inspired by you. And I hope that you too, will be gladiators and be inspiration to others who are following you. Students should look for opportunities. I will work with you to see what kind of scholarship we can provide.”
The Vice President, upon obtaining her master’s degree from the United States, burst unto the political scene in 1993 during the first civil war in Liberia and worked at the Central Bank of Liberia, then the National Bank of Liberia and the Agricultural Development Bank.
Following her marriage with former President Charles Taylor, she became Liberia’s First Lady.
Following Mr. Taylor’s resignation in 2003, she accompanied him to Nigeria where the ex-Liberian leader was given asylum as part of agreement to end the ravaging civil war.
She later returned to Liberia and won a senatorial seat in Bong County during the 2005 presidential and legislative elections.
She was re-elected in a hotly contested senatorial by elections in 2014, a result which was challenged by then Cuttington University President who is now current Bong Senator, Dr. Henrique Tokpah.
During the 2017 elections, her National Patriotic Party (NPP) formed a ‘grand’ coalition with soccer legend George Weah’s Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) and former House Speaker Alex Tyler’s Liberia People Democratic Party (LPDP).
Serving as running mate to then fellow Senator Weah, their ‘Grand’ Coalition for Democratic Change ticket won the 2017 Presidential runoff election.
Many credited her strong support from Bong County and women solidarity groups as being catalysts to CDC first round lead in the 2017 presidential and legislative elections; a feat which paved the way for the party’s landslide victory in the runoff.
Throughout her public life, she has been a staunch advocate for the rights of women, children and other disadvantaged groups including the disabled and strayed youth.
She continues to be a champion for women’s participation in leadership in Liberia, Africa and the world as evidenced when she successfully co-hosted the 2018 all women SHEROES’ conference in Monrovia.
The SHEROES Foundation is a nonprofit organization working to end gender inequality in all facets of life in Africa and focuses on economic and political empowerment to achieving the SDGs’ aim of gender equality.