Opinion

Countless women have steered the course of our history, and their stories are ones of steadfast determination. From reaching for the ballot box to breaking barriers on athletic fields and battlefields, American women have stood resolute in the face of adversity and overcome obstacles to realize their full measure of success. Women's History Month is an opportunity for us to recognize the contributions women have made to our Nation, and to honor those who blazed trails for women's empowerment and equality.
Women from all walks of life have improved their communities and our Nation. Sylvia Mendez and her family stood up for her right to an education and catalyzed the desegregation of our schools. Starting as a caseworker in city government, Dr. Dorothy Height has dedicated her life to building a more just society. One of our young heroes, Caroline Moore, contributed to advances in astronomy by discovering a supernova at age 14.

(To those of our readers who expected to find in this column, a continuation of our “Countdown to April 12, 1980, we apologize for the disappointment; a few legal issues raised by this column required some timely response to avoid becoming outdated. Later this week, (on Friday) “The Punch” continues with our “Countdown to April 12, 1980.” Thanks for the interest and support. Bear with us---and stay with us!)

In my March 1, 2010 article entitled, “Where are the jobs?”, I concluded by introducing the passage of an affirmative action law that would require international donor-sponsored missions to set aside 30 percent of their businesses for Liberians. This article is intended to discuss affirmative action in more detail in terms of how it works, who has benefited and where. This discussion would enable you the reader to judge for yourself if affirmative action can work in Liberia.

There has not been much for Liberian football fans to smile about over the past eight years. Liberian sports, especially football, are still reeling from the fallout of the country’s failure to qualify for Japan-Korea in 2002. The failure to qualify for the World Cup extinguished life out of football in a country that produced one of the game’s greatest legends in the person of George Weah.

While walking to the offices of the Daily Observer on Sunday, February 21, I saw a group of students from the baccalaureate service of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion University (AMEZU). I asked one of the graduates how many students graduated, and he said 287. It dawned on me that just a few months ago, 535 students had graduated from the AMEU and some 1,000 plus students from the University of Liberia (UL). Then I asked myself, “Where are the jobs?”