Americo-Liberian - Americo-Liberian Legacy

Americo-Liberian Legacy

While globalization has made African American culture a worldwide phenomenon, Americo-Liberians left a unique American imprint on Liberia that lingers until this day. Liberia, whose name means "land of the free," undoubtedly remains the most American of African countries . The Liberian flag, government, and constitution resemble those of the United States. The former residences of Americo-Liberian families (which still stand) resemble those of former majestic plantation homes in the old American South. Many native Liberians still talk with hints of African American Vernacular English. By many accounts, Liberians easily integrate into African American communities. Liberian immigrants to the U.S. have the highest passport acceptance rates and the longest extension rates of any African nation. Although the old Americo-Liberians are gone, their houses and monuments crumbling, ordinary Liberians still look westward for help. In 2007 BET founder Robert Johnson called for "African Americans to support Liberia like Jewish Americans support Israel". Liberia now counts the United States as its strongest supporter in its democratization and reconstruction efforts. In 2007 Condoleezza Rice announced the U.S. State Department would cancel all of Liberia's debt. Since the end of Liberia's civil war in 2003, the United States has contributed over $750 million toward Liberia's reconstruction and development and more than $750 million to support the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL). The U.S. plans to commit another $342 million bilaterally and through UNMIL in fiscal year 2008. In February 2008, President Bush visited Liberia, where he held his fourth one-on-one meeting with President Sirleaf since Sirleaf's inauguration in January 2006. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is Africa's first female President. While Johnson-Sirleaf was born and raised in Monrovia around Americo-Liberian descendents and named after a former Americo-Liberian President (Hilary Richard Wright Johnson), she maintains that all of her grandparents were indigenous. But a recent interview with PBS's Tavis Smiley, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf stated that her grandfather was of German descent.