Sarah Culberson
Princess Sarah | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lady of Bumpe | |||||
Born | Esther Elizabeth Kposowa 1976 (age 48) Morgantown, West Virginia, U.S. | ||||
| |||||
House | Kposowa | ||||
Father | Joseph Konia Kposowa | ||||
Occupation |
|
Princess Sarah Jane Culberson, Lady of Bumpe (born Princess Esther Elizabeth Kposowa in 1976) is an American philanthropist, public speaker, educator, writer and actress. By birth she is a Mende princess of the Bumpe–Gao Chiefdom in Sierra Leone.
She is the co-founder of Sierra Leone Rising, a non-profit organization that raises funds to improve education, economic opportunities, and sustainable living for people in Sierra Leone. In 2009, she co-authored her memoir, titled A Princess Found: An American Family, an African Chiefdom, and the Daughter Who Connected Them All. The book is being considered by Disney for development as a film directed by Stephanie Allain with Culberson as executive producer.
Personal life
Culberson was born Esther Elizabeth Kposowa in
In 2004, Culberson hired a private investigator to find her biological parents. She discovered that her biological mother, a white woman from the
Career
In 2001, Culberson moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. She has made appearances on the television shows Strong Medicine, In Case of Emergency, All of Us, Boston Legal, and The Secret Life of the American Teenager.[6] She also had a role in the film American Dreamz.[11]
From 2005 to 2007, Culberson was a dancer with CONTRA-TIEMPO, a professional dance company based in Los Angeles that specializes in
In 2006, Culberson co-founded Sierra Leone Rising, formerly known as Kposowa Foundation, a non-profit foundation that supports education, rebuilding of schools, and improving quality of life in the Bumpe Chiefdom of Sierra Leone after the civil war.[12]
She worked as director of service learning at the Oakwood School in Los Angeles.[6] As the service director, she organized a school service trip to Sierra Leone.[11] She had previously worked at the Brentwood School, where she established a dance program.
In 2009, she co-authored the memoir A Princess Found: An American Family, an African Chiefdom, and the Daughter Who Connected Them All.[13]
Prior to
In 2019, Disney reached an agreement with Homegrown Pictures to develop Culberson's memoir and story into a film. An all-Black female team of scriptwriters and directors is expected to produce the film, with Stephanie Allain as producer, April Quioh as scriptwriter, and Culberson as executive producer and consultant.[16]
In 2022, Culberson was awarded the Impact Award at Bounce TV's 30th Trumpet Awards.[17][18] In 2023, she served on a panel with Princess Keisha Omilana to talk about diversity and inclusion, racial representation, African royalty, and the role of monarchy in the modern day.[19]
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
2006 | American Dreamz | Montage Performer |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
2002 | Strong Medicine | Mom #2 | [6] |
2005 | All of Us | Female Fan #2 | [6] |
2006 | Boston Legal | Female Assistant | [6] |
2007 | In Case of Emergency | Olivia Ryan | |
2009 | The Secret Life of the American Teenager | Dr. Kposowa | [6] |
2010 | Behind the Words | Self | |
2021 | Live It Up | Self |
References
- ^ Culberson, Sarah; Trivas, Tracy (May 11, 2010). A Princess Found: An American Family, an African Chiefdom, and the Daughter Who Connected Them All. St. Martin's Press. pp. 108, 162 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Suarez, Kelly-Anne (September 17, 2006). "W.Va. Native Is African Royalty". Daily Press. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
- ^ a b c Suarez, Kelly-Anne (September 15, 2006). "Princess Finds the Shoe Fits". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
- ^ Culberson & Trivas 2010, p. viii.
- ^ Culberson & Trivas 2010, p. 8–10.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Walker, Janelle (January 15, 2017). "Actress to be keynote speaker at Elgin MLK conference". Elgin Courier-News. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
- ^ Koval, Danielle E. (November 30, 2006). "Morgantown woman finds her father, and her crown". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
- ^ "Sarah's Story". SarahCulberson.com. Archived from the original on January 13, 2022. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
- ^ Pritchett, Rachel (February 24, 2008). "Princess Brings Her People's Pleas to Kitsap". Kitsap Sun. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
- ^ Rey, Sola (July 23, 2012). "Princess Sarah Culberson of the Mende family in Sierra Leone". Retrieved May 17, 2022.
- ^ a b c d "ABOUT". CONTRA-TIEMPO - Urban Latin Dance Theater. Archived from the original on May 27, 2020. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
- ^ "Our Story". Sierra Leone Rising.
- ^ DeMicia, Inman (December 18, 2020). "Adopted American woman discovers she's a Sierra Leone princess". TheGrio. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
- ^ Wade, Valerie (November 29, 2017). "Does Meghan Markle Need to Be the Black Princess You Want Her to Be?".
- ^ "Is the royal wedding a cause for feminist celebration or condemnation? Yes". May 15, 2018.
- ^ Akbarzai, Sahar (June 27, 2021). "Adopted biracial woman's royal roots turning into a real-life fairy tale". CNN. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
- ^ Umstead, R. Thomas (April 8, 2022). "Bounce Trumpet Awards Rescheduled for April 23". Multichannel News. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
- ^ "Award Honoree". Trumpet Awards. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
- ^ Friel, Mikhaila. "Princess Keisha of Nigeria said people are often surprised by how 'non-royal' her life is: 'I love Target'". Insider.
External links
- Official website
- Sarah Culberson at IMDb