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Sarah Culberson

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Princess Sarah
Lady of Bumpe
BornEsther Elizabeth Kposowa
1976 (1976) (age 48)
Morgantown, West Virginia, U.S.
Names
Sarah Jane Culberson
HouseKposowa
FatherPrince Joseph Konia Kposowa
Occupation
  • Philanthropist
  • public speaker
  • educator
  • writer
  • actress

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

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Culberson was born Esther Elizabeth Kposowa in Morgantown, West Virginia, to an American mother and a Sierra Leonean father.[1] She was placed into foster care as an infant and was later adopted by Jim and Judy Culberson, a couple in West Virginia. Her adoptive father was a professor of neuroanatomy at West Virginia University.[2] Her adoptive mother was a special education instructor at an elementary school.[3] She grew up not knowing anything about her birth parents. Culberson was raised in the United Methodist faith.[4] Culberson played basketball, served as student body president, and was the homecoming queen at University High School.[5][6] She received a theatre scholarship to West Virginia University and graduated in 1998.[7][8] She later obtained a masters of fine arts degree from the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco.[6]

In 2004, Culberson hired a private investigator to find her biological parents. She discovered that her biological mother, a white woman from the United States named Penny, had died from cancer twelve years earlier and that her father, Prince Joseph Konia Kposowa, was a member of a Mende royal family.[9] Her paternal grandfather, Francis Kposowa, had been the Paramount Chief of Bumpe in Sierra Leone.[10] As a Mahaloi, or granddaughter of the Paramount Chief, she is accorded the status of princess by the Mende people.[6] She reconnected with her father after writing him a letter. Her father revealed that he had been a visiting college student when she was conceived, and he and her mother agreed they were too young and not financially suitable to care for a child at that time.[3] Upon arriving in Bumpe, the chiefdom granted her the title Bumpenya, which is Mende for Lady of Bumpe.[3]

Career

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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 Salsa, hip-hop, and contemporary dance performances.[11] She now serves on the dance company's board of directors and continues to perform as a guest artist.[11]

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 the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, media outlets listed Culberson along with Princess Ariana Austin Makonnen of Ethiopia, Princess Angela of Liechtenstein, Princess Keisha Omilana of Ipetu-Ijesha, Princess Sikhanyiso Dlamini of Swaziland, Emma Thynn, Viscountess Weymouth, Cécile de Massy, and Monica von Neumann as modern examples of black royal and noble women. A resurgence of articles about African royalty and nobles of African heritage, including Culberson, occurred after the British royal wedding.[14][15]

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

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Film

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Year Title Role Ref.
2006 American Dreamz Montage Performer

Television

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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

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  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ Suarez, Kelly-Anne (September 17, 2006). "W.Va. Native Is African Royalty". Daily Press. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Suarez, Kelly-Anne (September 15, 2006). "Princess Finds the Shoe Fits". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  4. ^ Culberson & Trivas 2010, p. viii.
  5. ^ Culberson & Trivas 2010, p. 8–10.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ Koval, Danielle E. (November 30, 2006). "Morgantown woman finds her father, and her crown". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  8. ^ "Sarah's Story". SarahCulberson.com. Archived from the original on January 13, 2022. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  9. ^ Pritchett, Rachel (February 24, 2008). "Princess Brings Her People's Pleas to Kitsap". Kitsap Sun. Retrieved May 17, 2022.[permanent dead link‍]
  10. ^ Rey, Sola (July 23, 2012). "Princess Sarah Culberson of the Mende family in Sierra Leone". Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  11. ^ a b c d "ABOUT". CONTRA-TIEMPO - Urban Latin Dance Theater. Archived from the original on May 27, 2020. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  12. ^ "Our Story". Sierra Leone Rising.
  13. ^ DeMicia, Inman (December 18, 2020). "Adopted American woman discovers she's a Sierra Leone princess". TheGrio. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  14. ^ Wade, Valerie (November 29, 2017). "Does Meghan Markle Need to Be the Black Princess You Want Her to Be?".
  15. ^ "Is the royal wedding a cause for feminist celebration or condemnation? Yes". May 15, 2018.
  16. ^ Akbarzai, Sahar (June 27, 2021). "Adopted biracial woman's royal roots turning into a real-life fairy tale". CNN. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  17. ^ Umstead, R. Thomas (April 8, 2022). "Bounce Trumpet Awards Rescheduled for April 23". Multichannel News. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  18. ^ "Award Honoree". Trumpet Awards. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  19. ^ Friel, Mikhaila. "Princess Keisha of Nigeria said people are often surprised by how 'non-royal' her life is: 'I love Target'". Insider.
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