A lover of words and their meanings across languages, Kleaver Cruz (they/them) was born and raised between The Bronx and Washington Heights in Uptown, NYC with their twin brother and close knit Dominican family. Kleaver is a Black queer creative, writer and educator who has presented and conducted work across the African Diaspora and continent in places like Brazil, South Africa and The Netherlands, among other countries.
Kleaver is the creator of The Black Joy Project, a digital and real-world affirmation that Black joy is resistance. Kleaver is also a member of We Are All Dominican–A U.S.-based grassroots collective that works in solidarity with movements led by Dominicans of Haitian descent fighting for inclusion and citizenship rights in the Dominican Republic. Kleaver believes in the power of words to write the stories that did not exist when they needed them the most.
Kleaver will be working with ALMA | LEWIS’ Black Archive during their Winter 2024 residence while working on their next book.
Learn more about Kleaver here