Jewel Taylor

Jewel Taylor

Jewel Cianeh Taylor (née Howard; born 17 January 1963) is a Liberian politician who served as the 30th vice president of Liberia from 2018 to 2024. She was married to convicted warlord and former president Charles Taylor from 1997 to 2006 and was first lady of Liberia during his presidency. In 2005, Jewel Taylor was elected to the Senate of Liberia for Bong County as a member of the National Patriotic Party. She was Chair of the Senate Health and Social Welfare Committee on Gender, Women and Children.

Quotes

"Exclusive: Jewel Howard Taylor on election defeat, Charles Taylor and rocky alliance with George Weah" (2024)

"Exclusive: Jewel Howard Taylor on election defeat, Charles Taylor and rocky alliance with George Weah", The Africa Report (February 14, 2024)

• Firstly, becoming the first female vice president of my nation broke the mould that only men were capable of being vice presidents.

• Over the past 24 years, thousands of young women have taken advantage of the opportunities provided; through my personal support and that of the Jewel Star Fish Foundation, many of whom are positively impacting their world in many fields of study.

• I encountered challenging times during my tenure as vice president, primarily due to the conventional expectation of maintaining a quiet demeanour. History showed all vice presidents preceding me adhered to a policy of silence and following the leader. Being a woman and an advocate for women’s rights, I felt compelled to speak up about many issues.

• The age-old barriers to women’s empowerment are structural, patriarchal, discriminatory laws and low capacities. We must eliminate all forms of violence against women and adopt parity laws.
  • Taylor Speaking On Barriers To Women's Empowerment

• The truth is that politics is tough terrain, but it takes a clear vision, proper planning and execution of plans, commitment, hard work and consistency to succeed. Despite the many challenges, women should not allow themselves to be left out of the process.
  • Taylor speaking On Women Participation In Politics

• Youth unemployment is one of the biggest challenges facing our government. Youth employment is a key component of our Pro-poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development. To address unemployment, we need a strong private sector.
  • Taylor Speaking On Youth Empowerment

• Africa is the last frontier, with about 40 per cent of the world’s natural resources and the fastest-growing population globally…It’s time for an African industrial revolution.
  • Taylor Speaking On African Industrial Revolution

• I hope my voice, and the voices of others who contracted the disease will let people know that this pandemic is real…COVID-19 is not a hoax or a conspiracy theory.
  • Taylor Speaking On The Pandemic

• My message is simple: dream, prepare, build, remain committed, and don’t forget to encourage and mentor others. This is the formula for success, whether you are a man or a woman. The world is for the strong, the bold, the creative and the committed. Keep in mind that everything is possible.
  • Taylor Speaking On her message to the women

• As you know, peace is a sine qua non for everything and luckily we have had this peace cemented with the election of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as the president. And for years we managed to put in place structures and laws to ensure that we will not derail from the peace. Once you have peace all other things are possible.
  • Taylor Speaking On Peace

• The higher you climb, the tougher it is. There will come many challenges from new counterparts and even colleagues who will be your loudest critics when you make a mistake. So what I had to do was to find a way, not to just rely on my pretty face sitting in the legislature.
  • Taylor Speaking On Her Challenges