From Musa V. Willie In USA
The night of October 1st in Philadelphia was an epic scene of excitement when the first female president of Liberia Mandingo Association of Pennsylvania, LIMAP, got inducted into office along with her other officials. Madusu Jabateh Sumaroa, who is a very outspoken and strong advocate for community development and women empowerment, gave a memorable inaugural address in the presence of hundreds of people who turned out to grace the inaugural ceremony.
Delivering the inaugural address, Madam Madusu thanked community members for putting the interest of the community ahead of individual affiliations. She recalled some of the dark trends the community resisted and called on all members of the community to hold together and work towards unity, peace and reconciliation. In closing , Madam Madusu said the leadership biggest goal is to acquire a multi-purpose community center that will accommodate youths and women initiatives. “ We are using a hall tonight that doesn’t allow us to perform prayer as Muslims —is this what you want us to keep going through ? If the answer is no, please join us and support us to achieve our gm#1 goal.”
Performing the instillation ritual, Imam Mohammed Jomaday admonished elected officials not to be spectators. He said leadership comes with responsibilities, therefore all elected officials should roll up their sleeve and do their jobs. He closed by calling on the new leadership to promote inclusive leadership.
Delivering the keynote address was state Senator Anthony Williams of District 8 Pennsylvania. He bluntly told the audience that, considering the viable roles the Liberian community is playing in the social and economic development of Philadelphia, it’s time for the community to consider supporting a candidate from amongst themselves to represent their interest at the PA legislature. He thanked LIMAP for the invitation and reechoed his willingness to support the agenda of the new leadership.
About LIMAP:
It is a 501C3 organization that seeks to promote the social, cultural, political and educational interest of Liberian Mandingos in Pennsylvania and other parts of America.
About the Author:
Musa V. Willie is a community organizer and seasoned leadership development coach. He is currently a volunteer-contributing writer for GNN. He can reached @ mvwillie@gmail.com
