Retta From ‘Parks And Recreation’ Is Related To Liberia’s Nobel Prize-Winning President

Everyone’s favorite self-treater, Retta, was her typically wonderful self on Twitter last night. The Parks and Recreation star was catching up with this season of The Walking Dead, and added the following hashtags to the cultural lexicon: #ZombieCloakNDagger, #TheF*cKIsThatTroughFor, and #HelluhNervous. But you already knew she’s good at livetweeting. But were you aware, however, that she’s also related to a historical politician in Africa? #Whuh.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is the current president of Liberia, and the first female to hold that title. Unfortunately, the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize winner and 70th most powerful woman in the world has been in the news lately about the “Ebola nightmare” that’s currently ravaging her country.

The United Nations has said it is going to take $1 billion to stop this outbreak. Of course, that’s our immediate priority. But at the same time, countries like Liberia need long-term investment to build up our health systems to prevent outbreaks of this scale from ever happening again. We owe it to the thousands of citizens and health workers who have so far lost their lives to be prepared. (Via)

While reading about Sirleaf, I came across this Washington Post article from 2011.

Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf — the country’s first female president — was named as one of three Nobel Peace Prize recipients this year, for her efforts to establish peace and bolster women’s rights in Liberia. And Sirleaf happens to be the aunt of Retta, the sassy, speed-dating master Donna Meagle on Parks and Recreation. (Retta’s full name? Retta Sirleaf.)

Retta shared her thoughts on her aunt’s achievement via e-mail.

“I heard the news this morning from a friend in Italy who said ‘Looks like your aunt has taken over the role as the most famous in the Sirleaf clan.’ To which I replied, ‘Yeah, now I gotta go find some drowning babies to save before the next family reunion. This is some bullsh*t!’ Talked to my mom a little while ago and she too was getting calls about it. My mom knows Ellen as ‘Iron Ellen’ because as my mom puts it, ‘She didn’t take no mess. She didn’t like the way the former presidents were running the country and wanted to do something about it. Her outspokenness often got her in trouble.’ She says that Ellen loves that country and loves the people and isn’t surprised that she won the election back in ’05 because she’s very determined. My father, who had just walked in while I was on the phone with my mother, hadn’t even heard the news. He was just glad the Yankees lost to the Tigers [Thursday] night. Dad is a diehard Met fan and as far as he’s concerned, a Yankee loss is a Met win and a Met win is as good a Nobel Prize.” (Via)

Retta is hilarious and Sirleaf is literally trying to save the world, but the real hero here is Retta’s dad. Us Mets fans gotta stick together. It’s all we have.

Via Washington Post

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