Feb
10

Secretary Bunch named to Presidential Delegation to the Republic of Liberia

The delegation will attend the bicentennial celebration of the arrival of the first free Black Americans to the Republic of Liberia.

President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. today announced the designation of a Presidential Delegation to the Republic of Liberia to attend the Bicentennial Celebrations in Monrovia, Liberia on February 14, 2022.  This marks the arrival of the first Free Black Americans to Providence Island in 1822, which led to the establishment of the City of Monrovia, and in 1847, the Republic of Liberia. Liberia was the first African republic to proclaim its independence and is Africa’s first and oldest modern republic.

Liberia began in the early 19th century as a project of the American Colonization Society , which believed Black people would face better chances for freedom and prosperity in Africa than in the United States. Between 1822 and the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861, more than 15,000 freed and free-born black people who faced social and legal oppression in the U.S., along with 3,198 Afro-Caribbeans, relocated to Liberia. Gradually developing an Americo-Liberian identity, the settlers carried their culture and tradition with them; the Liberian constitution and flag were modeled after those of the U.S., while its capital was named after ACS supporter and U.S. President James Monroe. Liberia declared independence on July 26, 1847, which the U.S. did not recognize until February 5, 1862.

The Honorable Linda Thomas-Greenfield, United States Ambassador to the United Nations, will lead the delegation.

Members of the Presidential Delegation

  • The Honorable Michael A. McCarthy, United States Ambassador to the Republic of Liberia
  • The Honorable Dana Banks, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Africa, National Security Council
  • Mr. Lonnie G. Bunch III, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution
  • Rev. Dr. Teresa Jefferson-Snorton, Bishop of the Fifth Episcopal District of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, Chair of the Governing Board, National Council of Churches in the United States

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Posted: 10 February 2022
About the Author:

Alex di Giovanni is primarily responsible for "other duties as assigned" in the Office of Communications and External Affairs. She has been with the Smithsonian since 2006 and plans to be interred in the Smithson crypt.