Published: July 31, 2025
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – In a bold Independence Day address, Rev. Alexander B. Collins told the Liberian diaspora it’s time to quit lamenting Liberia’s past and start shaping its future—through governance, not grievance.
Speaking to a packed crowd in Minnesota, Collins, Chair of the Liberian Ministers Association of Minnesota, urged Liberians abroad to trade nostalgia and remittances for direct civic engagement, leadership, and reform.
“You cannot love a country only in sentiment,” he declared. “Love must look like action.”
Collins delivered the keynote under the theme “A Nation Preserved by Grace,” with the sub-theme “Diaspora Rising.” His message struck a nerve with a diaspora community often celebrated for its financial contributions but criticized for its political detachment.
Rather than revisiting the trauma of Liberia’s civil war or the economic instability that displaced thousands, Collins challenged his audience to harness that pain and convert it into a force for national rebuilding. “Yes, we were wounded. Yes, we were scattered. But we are not helpless,” he said.
He called for a new posture—one that sees diaspora Liberians not as spectators of Liberia’s failures, but as architects of its renewal. “We must now become builders—of systems, of schools, of institutions, of hope,” Collins said.
The pastor acknowledged the diaspora’s impact through remittances but argued that dollars alone won’t fix Liberia. He urged Liberians abroad to transfer their skills, influence policy, support reform initiatives, and directly invest in communities.
“The moment for passive complaint has long since passed,” he said. “The time for purposeful contribution is here.”
Education emerged as a cornerstone of Collins’ message. He challenged his audience to help elevate school standards, support curriculum reform, and invest in a new generation of Liberian thinkers and leaders. “Education is our most powerful weapon—not only for personal advancement, but for national redemption,” he noted.
Collins also linked moral clarity to civic duty. He called on the diaspora to champion justice, equity, and inclusion, especially for marginalized groups. “We must lead with integrity,” he said. “The Liberia we dream of cannot be built on silence or selective outrage.”
His speech comes amid mounting dissatisfaction at home with slow governance reforms, poor infrastructure, and widespread youth unemployment. In that context, Collins argued, the diaspora cannot afford neutrality.
“Our remittances are not enough. Our country needs our time, our expertise, our organizing power,” he said. “We must stop waiting for the right moment. The moment is now.”
The address concluded with a direct challenge: for the diaspora to pivot from reflection to action. Collins urged Liberians abroad to initiate skills-transfer programs, fund civic education, and hold public institutions accountable. He emphasized that true citizenship involves sacrifice and strategy—not just sentiment.
“Let us not return to our routines after today,” he said. “Let us return with a plan, with purpose, with the resolve to lift Liberia—not tomorrow, but starting now.”
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