The Power of Unity
According to the history of Liberia, She gained her independence in 1847, making her 175 years. Liberia, the first “Independent Nation” on the Continent of Africa, gave birth to 15 great counties. Among these is Grand Gedeh, which became a county in 1964. Before 1847 was established as the beginning of Liberia’s existence, Grand Gedeh had always been the home of all Grand Gedeans. Grand Gedeh consists of three districts: Gbarzon, Tchien, and Konobo. These three districts combined produced 200 towns, to which many of us belong. So, what does this mean? This simply means we are born under one roof. We are one family who share the same values and carry the same blood as our county. For this reason, we must come together if we need to achieve the greatness of our county and our people.
For many years, we have struggled to remain rooted in the things that are essential to our county’s development and vital to our people’s quality of life. Jehovah says, “A house that is divided can not stand.” This moral text of Scripture was also emphasized repeatedly during the heat of the American Civil War by President Abraham Lincoln. He insisted on the preservation of the Union. The house divided against itself will fall. The Union of Grand Gedeh MUST be preserved, and the survival of the Union must never be divided! As long as we continue to fight each other, the more our people continue to deal with the difficult nature of life in a country that is struggling to provide them with the basic necessity of life for every man, woman, and child. In parallel to this truth, every Grand Gedean here in the United States is capable of changing the direction of the condition of our people. We are capable of providing them the quality of life we all desire them to have, such as; quality education, quality medical facility, quality road network, jobs, and much more; but because we are constantly at war with each other, the well-being and future of our people remain motionless.
From the existence of the Grand Gedeh Association in America on August 15, 1975, to the present time, we all can agree that many mistakes and poor decisions were made in critical leadership roles designed to meet the needs of our people. The great United States of America was never built in one day. But, with time and seasons and changes of leadership, today, America stands to be the greatest nation on Earth with the perfect Union. Out of darkness comes light. Out of failure comes success. Being responsible for recognizing the wrongs and willingness to correct and straighten the path to responsible decision-making to get to where we need to go has always been the path to greatness. Therefore, I have never been more hopeful that the future of this organization is brighter and that the spirit of UNITY, which I stand on, shall be the collective power of the transformation we desire to achieve. As your newly elected president, I intend to bring and give life to this transformation. In a nutshell, this transformation is achievable through our PUT agenda. Therefore, under my administration, we will focus on many vital areas to strengthen this institution and uplift our county from the current state of uncertainty to a promising future that we all can be proud of.
Grand Gedeh is our home. We are responsible for our county. I stand before you today, standing on a principle that if one is to be your newly elected leader, one must be willing to risk all they have for the betterment of the county. In addition, taking on the chief leadership role of our people demands a leader with the spirit of unity. It demands a leader with the spirit of humility and the willingness to listen to the people. It demands a leader with the spirit not to be afraid to make tough decisions that serve the people’s best interests. It demands a leader with the spirit to fight for the dignity and betterment of the people. It demands a leader with the spirit to reason with logic and wisdom.
Thank you. God bless you and our great and beloved county, Grand Gedeh.
Your servant,
Edith T. Poah
President
Grand Gedeh Association In the Americas
National administration.
