Pearl Cleage Biography
Pearl Cleage is an African-American novelist, playwright, political activist, essayist, and poet born on December 7, 1948, in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States. However, Cleage is the artist in Residence at the Just Us Theater and the Alliance Theatre Company.
Cleage embarks on issues at the crux of sexism and racism, and is well known for her feminist beliefs, especially about her originality as an African-American woman. Her book, titled What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day, written in 1997, was a 1998 Oprah Book Club choice.
10 Facts About Pearl Cleage
- Name: Pearl Cleage
- Age: 76 Years Old
- Birthday: December 7
- Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius
- Height: 5 feet 6 inches (1.68m)
- Nationality: American
- Marital Status: Divorced
- Occupation: Playwright, Essayist, Novelist, Poet, Political Activist
- Salary: Under Review
- Net Worth: $2 million
Pearl Cleage Age
Cleage is 76 years old. She was born on December 7, 1948, in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States. She celebrates her birthday on December 7 every year, and her birth sign is Sagittarius.
Pearl Cleage Height
Cleage stands at a height of 5 feet 6 inches (1.68m).
Pearl Cleage Weight
Cleage has a moderate weight. However, details regarding her actual weight and other body measurements are currently not publicly available. We will update this section when the information is available.
Early Life and Education
Cleage was born to her mother, Doris Graham, and her father, Albert B. Cleage Jr., on December 7, 1948, in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States. She grew up in Detroit, Michigan, where her father was the pastor of the Shrine of the Black Madonna.
Cleage attended public schools in Detroit and graduated from Northwestern High School in 1966. She then enrolled at Howard University in Washington, D.C., where she studied playwriting and graduated in 1969.
After graduation, Cleage relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, where she got matched with Michael Lomax and also enrolled at Spelman College, where she graduated in 1971 with a BA in drama. She also holds a bachelor’s degree from Atlanta University.
Rise to Fame and Breakthrough Moment
- Cleage rose to fame in the 1990s after producing three of her most well-known works, Bourbon at the Border in 1997, Flyin’ West in 1992, and Blues for an Alabama Sky in 1995, at the Alliance Theatre in collaboration with artistic director Kenny Leon.
- She also became famous for her feminist beliefs, especially about her originality as an African-American woman.
Major Awards and Contributions
- Cleage’s book, titled What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day, written in 1997, was a 1998 Oprah Book Club choice.
- Cleage maintains roles as artistic director of the Just Us Theater Company and the artist in Residence.
- In 2013, she became the Playwright in Residence at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta via the National Playwright Residency Program administered by HowlRound and sponsored by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Personal Life
Pearl Cleage Family, Parents
Cleage was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, and raised in Detroit, Michigan, as the daughter of the late parents Albert Cleage (father) and Doris Cleage (mother). Her father was a prominent civil rights leader and pastor, while her mother was an elementary school teacher. Cleage grew up encircled by activists in her community and family, and listened to authors talking at her father’s church, as well as met renowned figures of the Civil Rights Movement.
Pearl Cleage Siblings
Cleage has one sibling: an older sister, named Kristin Cleage. Kristin is a writer and editor, and she has worked on several projects with her sister, including co-editing the anthology Black Theater: A Tradition of Innovation and Activism.
Pearl Cleage Husband
Cleage is happily married to her handsome husband Zaron Burnett Jr., director and writer for the Just Us Theater Company. The couple had their wedding in 1994 and together they are proud grandparents of four grandchildren.
Cleage was earlier married to her former husband, Michael Lomax, an Atlanta politician and past president of Dillard University in New Orleans, Louisiana. The couple did their wedding in 1969, and together they were blessed with one child, a daughter, Deignan Njeri. Unfortunately, they finalised their divorce in 1979.
Pearl Cleage Children
Cleage is a proud mother of a daughter, named Deignan Njeri, as well as a happy grandmother of four grandchildren.
Pearl Cleage Net Worth
Pearl Cleage’s net worth is publicly not available. Her primary source of income is her career as a Playwright. Through her various sources of income, we believe that Pearl has been able to accumulate good fortune, but prefers to keep it private. We will update this section once this information is available.
Facts: Everything You Need to Know About Pearl Cleage
Here are some interesting facts and body measurements you should know about Cleage.
Pearl Cleage Bio.
- Full Names: Pearl Cleage
- Popular As: American playwright and essayist
- Gender: Female
- Occupation / Profession: Playwright, Essayist, Novelist, Poet, Political Activist
- Nationality: American
- Race / Ethnicity: White
- Religion: Not Available
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
Birthday
- Age / How Old?: 76 Years Old
- Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius
- Date of Birth: December 7, 1948
- Place of Birth: Springfield, Massachusetts, United States
- Birthday: December 7
Body Measurements
- Body Measurements: Not Available
- Height / How Tall?: 5 feet 6 inches (1.68m)
- Weight: Moderate
- Eye Color: Blue
- Hair Color: Black
- Shoe Size: Not Available
- Dress Size: Not Available
- Breast Size: Not Available
- Waist Size: Not Available
- Hip Size: Not Available
Family and Relationship
- Father (Dad): Rev. Albert Cleage
- Mother: Doris Cleage
- Siblings (Brothers and Sisters): Kristin Cleage
- Marital Status: Married
- Spouse/Husband: Zaron Burnett Jr. ( m. 1994), Michael Lomax (m. 1969–1979)
- Dating/Boyfriend: Not Applicable
- Children: Deignan Njeri
Net Worth and Salary
- Net Worth: Not Available
- Salary: Under review
- Source of Income: Playwright, Essayist, Novelist, Poet, Political Activist
Books
- What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day (1997)
- Blues for an Alabama (2009)
- Mad at Miles (1990)
- A song for Coretta (2008)
- We Speak Your Names (2005)
- Things I Should Have Told My Daughter: Lies, Lessons & Love Affairs (2014)
- I wish I had a red dress (2001)
- Bourbon at the Border (2005)
- Some things I never thought I’d do (2003)
- Baby brother’s blues (2006)
We Speak Your Names
We Speak Your Names is a play written by Pearl Cleage in 2005. The play is long and crafted to celebrate ladies who continue to encourage Cleage in her journey as a Black woman.
Contacts
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