PHOTO: Sandy (Right) receiving the award at the honouring ceremony
New Castle, Delaware, USA- The National President of the Association of Liberian Journalists in the Americas (ALJA), Joe Mason, says his immediate predecessor, Moses D. Sandy, is a dedicated and effective community leader.
According to President Mason, Mr. Sandy is an unwavering and self-less team player, who is always willing to serve his people regardless of where he sits on the leadership stratum. He spoke recently in New Castle, Delaware when he made remarks at a surprise birthday party and honoring ceremony held in honor of the ALJA National President Emeritus. President Mason replaced Mr. Sandy in 2019 as National President of ALJA after serving the Association for two consecutive terms.
Mr. Sandy was initially elected as National President in 2015 for a two-year term; and re-elected in 2017. The ALJA National President Emeritus is credited for leading the resuscitation efforts of the Association in 2014 after 10 years of dormancy. ALJA crumbled in 2004 due to internal rift amongst the Association’s members and officers.
President Mason hailed Mr. Sandy and his family for the outstanding and sacrificial services they continue to render the Association. He pontificated, “This is a well deserving event. Moses is a true and sincere friend. When he served ALJA as National President, he invested a lot in the Association. Although he honorably retired in 2019, Moses remains actively engaged in the upkeep of the organization. He never misses an ALJA meeting; and he is always willing to serve the organization in any capacity”.
He thanked Mr. Sandy’s wife, Marion Tete Nimene-Sandy, and the friends and relatives of the Sandy family for the honor bestowed on the National President Emeritus. President Mason also, expressed words of gratitude to the ALJA Delaware Valley Chapter for joining the Sandy family and their friends for the planning and hosting of the surprise birthday and honoring program. He noted, “Acknowledging and appreciating the kindness and sacrificial services of an individual while alive is better than in death”.
Also, making remarks at the occasion, the President of the ALJA Delaware Valley Chapter, Jackson Seton, opined, “Mr. Sandy is a good man”. He noted, “It is always good to give a man his flowers while he’s alive”. He thanked the retired ALJA National President for the exemplary leadership role he played in the Association’s Delaware Valley Chapter and the entire ALJA family.
On-behalf of the Chapter, Mr. Seton then presented a wooden plaque to Mr. Sandy in recognition of his passion, dedication, and unwavering commitment to the growth and development of the chapter.
ALJA is a conglomeration of current and retired Liberian journalists residing in the Americas. It is a 501c (3) non-profit organization. The Association was founded in 1998 in Washington, D.C. with the objectives of fostering companionship amongst its members and their American counterparts. Additionally, ALJA is committed to advancing press freedom through media capacity building and the fostering of good governance in Liberia through media advocacy.
When former President Sandy and his colleagues took on the stewardship of ALJA in 2014, the organization was in tatters, with no monetary support and an expiration of its legal status in the United States. They reactivated the organization’s legal frameworks including its non-profit status. Additionally, the Sandy leadership revived two of ALJA’s dormant chapters (Delaware Valley and Midwest); and elevated the Association’s bank balance from zero dollars to an appreciable level.
Moreover, the leadership of the retired National President expanded the Association’s membership from nonexistent to a consolidated and vibrant status; and made ALJA a critical voice for media advocacy in Liberia and abroad. ALJA routinely spoke on national and human rights issues that affect the lives of Liberians at home and in the diaspora.
Additionally, the Sandy administration established an ALJA website (www.aljaonline.org); and rekindled the Association’s cordial tie with the Press Union of Liberia (PUL). As part of the collaboration, ALJA also, lent moral and financial supports to Liberian media institutions, journalists, and the families of deceased media personalities. Furthermore, more than 30 local and internal based Liberian journalists, and several eminent Liberian politicians and professionals attended the ALJA annual national conventions.
Mr. Sandy is a career journalist with extensive experience. Before resettling in the US over 20 years ago, he served as Editor-in-Chief at the state-owned Liberia Broadcasting System (LBS). He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Liberia. Also, he is a 2007 graduate of the acclaimed Temple University located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At Temple, he earned a graduate degree in social work administration.
Besides journalism, Mr. Sandy is an erudite and eminent community leader. He is former Chairman of the Liberian community based in Delaware. Moreover, he is Team Manager Emeritus of the First State Oldtimers Sports Association in Delaware. First State is a soccer club that brings together men of African descent residing in Delaware and surrounding states. Mr. Sandy is 55; and he is married with four beautiful daughters.