A Brief History of Women in Power
Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Liberia
In April 2006, First Lady Laura Bush described Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf as a woman who has never stopped working for her country. "[Her] courage and commitment to her country are an inspiration to me and women around the world," Bush wrote in TIME. Johnson-Sirleaf started her political career as a Liberian Cabinet Minister in the 1970s, went on to become a senior United Nations administrator in the 1990s and, when elected President of Liberia in 2006, became the first African woman to be elected head of state. Since taking the helm, she has pushed to reclaim what her nation lost during years of civil war. With strong will and determination, she has vowed to fight against corruption and move "forward into a future that is filled with hope and promise." To honor her triumphs, then U.S. President George W. Bush awarded her a 2007 Presidential Medal of Freedom. As Laura Bush wrote, "Johnson-Sirleaf is an example of what can happen when girls are educated."