Washington, DC — President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has been selected by President George W. Bush as one of eight recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest U.S.civilian honor.

"Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has helped heal a country torn apart by conflict through perseverance, personal courage, and an unwavering commitment to building a more hopeful future for her homeland," the White House announcement said. "The first woman elected president of an African nation, she has worked to expand freedom and improve the lives of people in Liberia and across Africa."

Johnson Sirleaf was celebrated today in Monrovia on her 69th birthday at a festival organized by a broad-based coalition of urban and rural Liberian women, and she earlier attended a thanksgiving service at First United Methodist Church. She returned home over the weekend after a two week trip to Europe and the United States and is expected to fly back to Washington, DC to attend the award ceremony on November 5.

The two presidents met at the White House on October 18 before Johnson Sirleaf received the Bishop John T. Walker Humanitarian Award at the annual Africare dinner that evening. she was also honored during this U.S. visit by the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis and the National Democratic Institute in Washington, DC.

President Bush Announces Recipients of Presidential Medal of Freedom