Voting Station

Mother Hale

Please vote to return to collections.

Hero

The Resume

    (April 1, 1905-December 18, 1992)
    Born in Elizabeth City, North Carolina
    Birth name was Clara McBride Hale
    Founded Hale House (later the Hale House Center) - Harlem, New York in 1970
    Served as a home for disadvantaged children who were abused or born addicted to drugs
    Honored by President Reagan at his 1985 State of the Union Address
    Member of the American Commission on Drug Free Schools

Why she might be annoying:

    There was a disagreement over compensation after a Hale House mural of her likeness was featured in the penultimate season opening of the Cosby Show (September 1990).
    The dispute led to the show switching back to its previous season’s Apollo Theater opening (although the final season did utilize a slightly modified version of the mural opening).
    Nearly a decade after her death, her daughter Lorraine was ousted from Hale House leadership amid allegations of malfeasance and corruption (2001).
    This was followed by a police investigation, leading to the arrest of Lorraine and her husband, on charges of misuse of over $1 million in donations on personal expenses (February 2002).
    The two managed to evade a conviction and resigned from the House’s board of directors, but their corruption rendered the charity defunct (the House closed its doors in 2008).

Why she might not be annoying:

    She was orphaned at the age of sixteen.
    Her husband died, leaving her with her two children.
    She took jobs babysitting to make ends meet, and soon became a licensed foster mother (fostering over 40 kids over 25 years).
    After retiring, she opened her home to babies who had been injected with heroin (over twenty at any given time).
    She eventually helped over 1,000 babies who were either born addicted to drugs, born with HIV, or whose parents died from AIDS.
    Her work was regularly hindered by city officials and the Mayor, who withdrew funding from the Hale House program in 1990.
    Tens of thousands in private donations flooded in, and Hale House expanded its programs to deal in detoxification, drug education, and housing programs.
    Hale House was America’s first and best known childcare agency to gain worldwide attention.
    She said: ‘If you can't hold the children in your arms, hold them in your heart’ and ‘hold them, rock them, love them and tell them how great they are.’
    Her life’s work was single-handedly ruined by her own daughter.
    She received the Candace Award for Humanitarianism from the National Coalition of 100 Black Women (in 1990) and the Living Legacy Award from the Women's International Center (in 1986).

Credit: BoyWithTheGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 7 Votes: 14.29% Annoying