Albert Porte
Encyclopedia
Albert Porte was an Americo-Liberian
political journalist and dissident who was the editor of the Crozerville Observer. In 1946, he became the first Liberia
n journalist to be imprisoned by President William Tubman
. The first major movement toward civil society
in Liberia is traced back to Porte's activities.
who emigrated to Liberia in 1865, Porte was born January 16, 1906 in Crozerville
, Liberia. The Porte family is from Barbados. He was educated at the Christ Church Parish Day School in Crozerville, the College of West Africa in Monrovia
, and Cuttington University College.
Before his political journalism career, Porte was a public school teacher. He later served as executive secretary of the National Teachers Association, and edited the NTA Bulletin.
Porte's political activist career began in the 1920s when he distributed pamphlets that took the True Whig Party single-party-state government to task for alleged unconstitutional use of presidential power.
He published articles in the Crozerville Observer, as well as other Liberian print media and foreign press. His most famous publications are the leaflets and pamphlets “Thinking about Unthinkable Things—The Democratic Way” (1967), “Liberianization or Gobbling Business?” (1975), “Explaining Why” (1976), “Thoughts on Change” (1977) and “The Day Monrovia Stood Still” (1979). Porte was imprisoned multiple times, and harassed and hounded by the government from the 1920s.
In the 1970s, Porte took aim at Finance Minister Stephen Allen Tolbert, the brother of President William Tolbert and co-founder of the first Liberian-owned multimillion-dollar conglomerate, the Mesurado Group of Companies. He accused the minister of using his public office stature to advance his business interests, penning a piece called "Liberianization of Gobbling Business?" Minister Tolbert filed a libel lawsuit and won a US$250,000 judgment against Porte in a case presided over by Supreme Court Justice James A.A. Pierre, the father-in-law of Minister Tolbert. The resulting public outrage led to the creation of what is considered Liberia's first civil society organization, Citizens of Liberia in Defense of Albert Porte (COLIDAP).
Porte died in 1986. On July 24, 2008, Porte posthumously received the Knight Great Band Humane Order of Africa Redemption award from the Liberian government for his contributions to Liberia.
He is the uncle of Kenneth Best, the founder of the Liberian Observer, one of the first daily newspapers in Liberia.
Americo-Liberian
Americo-Liberians are a Liberian ethnicity of African American descent. The sister ethnic group of Americo Liberians are the Sierra Leone Creole people who are of African American, West Indian, and liberated African descent...
political journalist and dissident who was the editor of the Crozerville Observer. In 1946, he became the first Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
n journalist to be imprisoned by President William Tubman
William Tubman
William Vacanarat Shadrach Tubman was a Liberian politician. He was the 19th President of Liberia from 1944 until his death in 1971....
. The first major movement toward civil society
Civil society
Civil society is composed of the totality of many voluntary social relationships, civic and social organizations, and institutions that form the basis of a functioning society, as distinct from the force-backed structures of a state , the commercial institutions of the market, and private criminal...
in Liberia is traced back to Porte's activities.
Background
Descended from BarbadiansBarbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
who emigrated to Liberia in 1865, Porte was born January 16, 1906 in Crozerville
Crozerville
Crozerville is a town in Montserrado County, Liberia, along the Saint Paul River. Crozerville is notable for being one of the few Americo-Liberian settlements founded by immigrants from the Caribbean, instead of the United States....
, Liberia. The Porte family is from Barbados. He was educated at the Christ Church Parish Day School in Crozerville, the College of West Africa in Monrovia
Monrovia
Monrovia is the capital city of the West African nation of Liberia. Located on the Atlantic Coast at Cape Mesurado, it lies geographically within Montserrado County, but is administered separately...
, and Cuttington University College.
Before his political journalism career, Porte was a public school teacher. He later served as executive secretary of the National Teachers Association, and edited the NTA Bulletin.
Porte's political activist career began in the 1920s when he distributed pamphlets that took the True Whig Party single-party-state government to task for alleged unconstitutional use of presidential power.
He published articles in the Crozerville Observer, as well as other Liberian print media and foreign press. His most famous publications are the leaflets and pamphlets “Thinking about Unthinkable Things—The Democratic Way” (1967), “Liberianization or Gobbling Business?” (1975), “Explaining Why” (1976), “Thoughts on Change” (1977) and “The Day Monrovia Stood Still” (1979). Porte was imprisoned multiple times, and harassed and hounded by the government from the 1920s.
In the 1970s, Porte took aim at Finance Minister Stephen Allen Tolbert, the brother of President William Tolbert and co-founder of the first Liberian-owned multimillion-dollar conglomerate, the Mesurado Group of Companies. He accused the minister of using his public office stature to advance his business interests, penning a piece called "Liberianization of Gobbling Business?" Minister Tolbert filed a libel lawsuit and won a US$250,000 judgment against Porte in a case presided over by Supreme Court Justice James A.A. Pierre, the father-in-law of Minister Tolbert. The resulting public outrage led to the creation of what is considered Liberia's first civil society organization, Citizens of Liberia in Defense of Albert Porte (COLIDAP).
Porte died in 1986. On July 24, 2008, Porte posthumously received the Knight Great Band Humane Order of Africa Redemption award from the Liberian government for his contributions to Liberia.
He is the uncle of Kenneth Best, the founder of the Liberian Observer, one of the first daily newspapers in Liberia.