Sang Kromah was born in Philadelphia, PA and grew up in the sleepy suburb of Sykesville, Maryland, the setting of her debut novel. As a child, Kromah would sit in the living room with her brother and listen to her parents recount the fairy tales of their native land of Liberia, absorbing in the words and pictures. Born a storyteller, Kromah would run away with the tales, creating her own versions of the stories for her younger brother.
While her peers were playing Super Nintendo, she was busy being "Harriet the Spy". She was first introduced to the book in the second grade, and from then on, it was her Holy Grail. She would spy on her family and neighbors, writing the things she had observed in her leather-bound journal; making comments, and notes on the subtle things they did that no one else would notice. She had the ability to pinpoint quirks that made them stand out; those little character traits that set them apart from others. And from her notes, many of her stories were born.
Some people experience fulfillment singularly through their own personal growth, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. But for Sang, fulfillment is achieved when the playing field is leveled by providing opportunities for growth for the underdogs or those who are, often times, forgotten. She works as a communications specialist and Executive Director of Resources and Outreach of Liberia (ROL), a registered US-based nonprofit organization that bridges the gap between Liberia's under-resourced education and health sectors by creating sustainable opportunities. For the last four years, she’s divided her time between New York, Baltimore, and Monrovia, Liberia, spearheading projects like Project READ (Restoration Education And Development), an initiative with a goal of creating safe places in Liberia for girls. These will be places that employ girls with growth and leadership opportunities. Project READ’s first project is to open a girls' drop-in center and a public library.
Project READ has acquired well over 40,000 books for their library so far, was featured in The Huffington Post, their progress was featured on Baltimore's ABC2 News in December 2015, is a recent grantee of a seed grant from The Pollination Project, and a recent grantee of 4imprint’s Onebyone Products Grant. Project READ is fighting to end the epidemic of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence against girls in Liberia by turning victims into survivors and implementing programs that will help prevent the victimization of at-risk girls. Through a full library of books, one on one counseling, arts programs, weekly group discussions and activities, daily tutoring, career training, community outreach projects, and a place to stay during times of emergencies, Project READ will give girls wings to soar. Last year, Kromah also launched a global social change initiative, Project GirlSpire, with a mission of passing on empowerment from girl to girl, nation to nation. Project GirlSpire is putting together an anthology of short stories written by women and girls to inspire girls globally.
