In a powerful national moment of mourning and reflection, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr. on Tuesday led a solemn memorial service in honor of Liberia’s 20th President, William Richard Tolbert, Jr., who was assassinated in the 1980 military coup that upended the nation’s democratic order and ushered in decades of political turmoil and civil unrest.
The commemorative ceremony, held at the historic Centennial Pavilion on Ashmun Street, brought together government officials, clergy, foreign dignitaries, members of the Tolbert family, and families of other victims of the 1980 executions. The event underscored Liberia’s long and difficult journey toward national healing and the enduring need for truth, justice, and reconciliation.
“We assemble here in solemn remembrance to honor the life and legacy of a statesman, a patriot, and a servant of the people,” President Boakai said. “This moment is also one of reflection, reconciliation, and national renewal.”
Boakai described President Tolbert as a “visionary leader,” a man of deep moral conviction, and a champion of Pan-African unity and social justice. He hailed Tolbert’s efforts to unify Liberians across divisions, uplift the poor, and modernize Liberia’s economy.
Tolbert, a Baptist preacher and respected statesman, served as President of Liberia from 1971 until his assassination on April 12, 1980. Days later, thirteen members of his cabinet were summarily executed by firing squad at the Barclay Training Center without trial.
“This memorial, decades after his tragic death, is not simply a ceremonial gesture,” Boakai said. “It is an act of national conscience. It is a moment to restore dignity, to acknowledge historical wrongs, and to reaffirm our collective commitment to truth, justice, and reconciliation.”
He noted that Liberia’s painful past — including the 1980 executions and the two civil wars that followed — must not be forgotten, but rather acknowledged as a collective lesson. “Let us allow our collective memory to serve not as a point of division, but as a force for unity,” Boakai declared.
The President extended heartfelt condolences to the Tolbert family and the families of the other men executed in 1980. “Your lives of tolerance have been irreproachable and magnanimous,” he said. “I urge you to continue to honor his memory not only through mourning but through purposeful contribution to national unity and healing.”
Also delivering a deeply moving address on behalf of the families was Cllr. Yvette Chesson-Wureh, who spoke for the April 22nd Memorial Group. Her speech marked one of the clearest and most urgent calls yet for Liberia to fully reckon with the past, including implementation of the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).
“On that dark day, our fathers were killed without due process, without legal representation, and without a chance to defend themselves,” Chesson-Wureh said. “They were branded as enemies of the people, tried in secret, and killed before their families could even say goodbye.”
She emphasized that the killings of President Tolbert and his officials were unlawful and a violation of Liberia’s obligations under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. “Their deaths were not only a personal loss to us, their children and families — they were a stain on the conscience of our nation,” she said. “Justice was denied, and with it, the principles of fairness and humanity that should define us as a people.”
While acknowledging the pain still felt by the families, Chesson-Wureh also struck a note of resolve. “We speak because we believe silence helps no one. Our wounds may not be visible, but they are deep.”
She called on the government and the people of Liberia to take concrete steps toward restorative justice, and praised the families’ collective effort to transform grief into public advocacy and education. “Let us reconcile not by burying the past, but by facing it—with courage, with compassion, and with a commitment to never repeat it,” she said.
Following the memorial at the Centennial Pavilion, the President, First Lady Kartumu Boakai, and their entourage joined the families of the April 22nd Memorial Group at the Liberia Baptist Theological Seminary for the dedication of the newly constructed April 22nd Memorial Group Remembrance Park. Built by the Memorial Group, the park is a physical and symbolic space for remembrance, healing, and reflection.
Its design is deliberate and powerful: a mausoleum bearing images of the late President Tolbert and his cabinet officials, a designated area for re-interment of their remains, the nine poles that once held the bodies of the executed men at the Barclay Training Center, and a monument erected by the Masonic Craft of Liberia to honor its members among the slain.
The Remembrance Park sits on two ocean-facing lots of land donated by the Liberia Baptist Theological Seminary — chosen specifically to mirror the beach behind the Barclay Training Center on Redemption Road, where the executions occurred. The symbolism was not lost on those in attendance. Many wept quietly as they walked the grounds, surrounded by memory and meaning.
According to Elfrieda Stewart Tamba, a representative of the Memorial Group, remains believed to be those of the murdered men are currently being held at the St. Moses Funeral Parlor, awaiting verification through DNA testing.
Plans for the park include the eventual construction of a research center and library — part of the families’ vision to turn tragedy into education and silence into institutional memory.
President Boakai welcomed these efforts as integral to national healing, urging Liberians to embrace reconciliation not out of convenience, but out of conviction. “To all Liberians, this occasion must inspire a renewed sense of patriotism,” he said. “Let us reject the forces that divide us. Let us choose peace over vengeance, unity over discord, and progress over stagnation.”
As Liberia continues to grapple with how best to reconcile its past, both President Boakai and Cllr. Chesson-Wureh reminded the nation that reconciliation is not a destination, but a process — one that requires moral courage, institutional action, and generational education.
“May this solemn occasion be a reminder that history must not be forgotten, and that reconciliation must be pursued not out of convenience but out of conviction,” Boakai said. “May the soul of President William Richard Tolbert, Jr. rest in perfect peace.”
And with conviction in her voice, Cllr. Chesson-Wureh closed: “The path to peace is paved with truth. The path to unity begins with acknowledgment. And the path to reconciliation demands justice. We will remember them.”
