NO LIBERIAN BEAUTY PAGEANT!
My dear fellow Africans and Liberians. I write to inform you that the recent circulation of information about an upcoming beauty pageant, this Saturday, May 3rd, has been cut off for the following reasons:
the failure of the organizer to formally inform the Liberian community leadership; the inability of the organizer to clearly articulate the underlining factors that truly define a beauty pageant, such as a standard criteria to screen and select participants; and the willful attempt by the organizer to illegitimately form an unknown new group called the "Liberian-American Friends of Wisconsin for Progress" without full knowledge of the existing leadership of the Liberian community. We characterize this latest attempt by the perpetrator as divisive and gross insubordination for the Liberian leadership.
First of all, let it be known that the leadership of the Liberian Association of Wisconsin, Inc (LAW) has resolved to disassociate itself and its members from the planned event this Saturday. While we support the idea of such social event, we equally expect due respect and courtesy to the highest level through cooperation and coordination from members of our community. A formal letter has been dispatched to organizer of the event about our official position.
Our public disclaimer on this issue comes in the wake of information posted on this server by some individuals regarding the beauty pageant. Thanks to DJ Trini and Emile, for intelligently detecting the undertones and sleazy underlings of the event, particularly its hosting venue (at a church). Such event, which DJ Trini decries as imitation and portrayal of western media social constructed image of the "thin body syndrome," which may not seem appealing to him at all.
With the trust and confidence imposed in us as leaders, we call on all Liberians, including Africans and well-wishers to boycott this event.
We strongly believe that conventional wisdom and basic norms for protocol engagement through respect, dialogue, consensus and formal communication with legitimate authorities within a community are the best way forward for binding and enduring progress. We view with dismay the attempt of the individual organizer of the beauty pageant to ostracize the LAW leadership is a gross disrespect and glaring attempt to create deep division within our community. Simply put, we are not formally aware of any beauty pageant event.
In addition, we do not recognize any self-styled group "Liberian-American Friends for Progress in Wisconsin as a legitimate group. There has been no revelation on the set criteria for nominated participants, hence, this leads us to express our deep concern about the true intention of the organizer of this event. This event is being organized to brand the name of the winning contender as "Miss Liberia of Wisconsin." Since LAW's legitimacy as a state wide community organization that represents the interests of its members, we therefore denounce any illegal attempt to conjure the good reputation of the Liberian communinty for selfish ends.
Alex Redd
Vice-President
Liberian Association of Wisconsin, Inc (LAW)
We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that time is ripe to do right.
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