A House with Two Rooms - The Advocates for Human Rights

Community-Level Impact
As noted elsewhere in this report, the Liberian diaspora was established before the Liberian civil war
that began in 1989. The composition of the diaspora has undergone significant change, however, as a
result of the conflict.
As the conflict progressed, the diaspora
changed from a relatively homogeneous
community of elites with connections
to the United States, to a very diverse
community reflecting the ethnic,
class, and political divisions that were
the roots of the conflict itself. Ethnic
divisions are regularly cited by statement
givers as a continuing problem in
diaspora communities around the
United States. 541 A community leader
in Washington, DC, told the TRC that
“differences among Liberian tribes
became more visible during the civil
war…the Liberian community began to
sectionalize to the point where certain members of the community were only comfortable dealing
with their tribesmen.” 542 A community leader in Minnesota observed the same phenomenon, noting
that just as during the war, factions developed and split off in Liberia, one saw the same phenomenon
in the United States, with new organizations splitting off to protect specific interests. 543 This statement
giver also observed that in the 1990s, there was a significant Krahn-Nimba divide in Minnesota,
which hurt the community. According to this statement giver, as the community has become larger
and as more perceived perpetrators have been coming into the community, the diaspora community
has drifted apart. 544
One statement giver opined that Americo-Liberians in the United States continue to discriminate
against Liberians of indigenous heritage. 545 By contrast, a statement giver with ties to the Congo/
Americo Liberian elite reported feeling “ostracized” by the diaspora community, in part because she
was not in Liberia during the war and did not suffer personal trauma. 546 Another statement giver who
acknowledges that such tensions exist recommended that the community should organize, reconcile,
and engage in mediation among ethnic groups, as most members of the diaspora community will not
be returning to Liberia in the near future. 547
Other statement givers noted, however, that among younger Liberians in the diaspora, much more
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Chapter Thirteen