Pearl Cleage

Pearl Michelle Cleage was born on December 7, 1948 in Springfield, Massachusetts. She is the youngest daughter of Doris Graham and Albert B. Cleage Jr. The family moved to Detroit, Michigan because her father founded the Pan African Orthodox Christian Church where he later became the pastor. While attending Detroit Public Schools, her mother was an elementary teacher.

She finally graduated from Detroit Public Schools in 1966. In school Pearl was known as an academically gifted student. After graduating from high school, Pearl enrolled at Howard University, where she majored in playwriting and dramatic literature. She withdrew from Howard to marry Michael Loman. He was an Atlanta politician and educator.

After moving to Atlanta with Michael in 1969, she enrolled at Spelman College where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in drama. After that she joined Spelman faculty as a writer and writer in dwelling. After having their beautiful daughter, Deignan Njeri, the marriage was ended with a divorce in 1979. Pearl married again in 1994 to a Zaron W. Burnett Jr. He is the writer and director for the Just Us Theater Company in 1994.

Pearl Michelle Cleage is an excellent American poet, essayist, and journalist. She writes about AIDS, women's rights, and abusive male behavior and many more expressive topics. In particular Pearl focuses on the issue of sex, drugs, and pregnancy, aiming to keep her message entered on black youth while presenting mature views on coming to grip with good and bad life choices.

Pearl Cleage wrote many essays, novels, six plays (so far). Ms. Pearl Cleage won numerous awards for recognition for her work including five AUDELCO Awards for Outstanding Achievement Off-Broadway in 1983, the Bronze Jubilee Award for Literature in 1983 and the outstanding columnist award from the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists in 1991. She even wrote essays for national