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It is not difficult to understand why those who knew Hale adopted the appellation of “Mother” when referring to her. It is difficult to comprehend the extraordinary sense of love and commitment that must have driven Hale to suffer with these babies. Keeping the babies clean and fed, a maxim at Hale House, must have been a burden by itself. Many were premature and sickly. Some had become addicted to heroin in the womb. The babies often suffered from shaking fits and shivering. They would scratch at their own bodies and make themselves bleed. By far the majority of babies were born addicted to crack cocaine. Developmental delays and passivity were commonplace symptoms among the babies at Hale House. The detoxification process took weeks, and Mother Hale strictly refused to administer drug therapies to her youngsters. Instead she comforted them through their withdrawals with personal care and compassion. “We hold them and touch them,” are often quoted words from Hale, as noted in the New York Times. She continued: “They love you to tell them how great they are, how good they are. Somehow, even at a young age, they understand that.” Many of the youngsters were withdrawn in their behavior, but Hale had a knack for bolstering fragile egos by providing the children with persistent verbal reinforcement, hugs, and smiles.
It was not long before the work of the Hale family got national attention. Because of this, the Hales succeeded in securing a federal grant to renovate a five-story house on 122nd Street. The spacious Harlem brownstone was dubbed Hale House. Percy Sutton, the famed philanthropist and president of the Manhattan Borough, arranged public funding. John Lennon, of the world-famous Beatles, donated thousands of dollars to Hale House before he died, and the John Lennon Spirit Foundation perpetuated his generosity with annual contributions after his death. Other distinguished personalities also recognized the honorable work of Hale House and contributed generously throughout the years in support of the cause.
By 1984 Hale House had acquired a staff of seven college-educated care-givers along with a license to house fifteen children and a reputation for never refusing a child. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times’ Beverly Beyette, Mother Hale confessed that she would defy the authorities, but never would she leave a child in need. “Sometimes we have 30 or 40 [children],” she confessed. “[When inspectors come by] we hide them. They say, ‘Oh, Mother Hale, don’t you give us any trouble.”‘ Many of the children were referred by public agencies, including the police and hospitals. Others were simply abandoned by their mothers.
The founding of Hale House coincided closely with the growing number of AIDS patients. This deadly and incurable virus can be easily passed among drug addicts who share needles. The virus can also be passed from mother to infant. Very little was known about the disease or its treatment at that time, but Hale courageously accepted and cared for children who were known to be infected with the AIDS virus, loving and nurturing them the same as all the others.
The parents of Hale House children were offered counseling and assistance in finding housing. The goal of Hale House was to reunite the families by teaching the parents to shoulder the responsibilities of life. In order to be reunited, addicted parents were required to participate in a rehabilitation program of approximately 18 months in duration. During that time they were required to maintain contact with their children via weekly visitation. It is a testament to the success of the program that in 1989, after 20 years of operation, only 12 of the many hundreds of children who had passed through the doors of Hale House had had to be placed for adoption. Wayward youths and other addicts also received help and direction to lead useful lives.
Mother Hale was honored by President Reagan during his State of the Union address in 1985. She was invited to Washington, D.C., where she was seated next to Mrs. Reagan during the speech when the President introduced her as “a true American hero.” She received the applause of the Supreme Court and Congress with her characteristic humility. In 1989, she was honored with the Harry S. Truman Award for Public Service.
She died of complications of a stroke December 18, 1992 at the age of 87. According to Rev. Dr. James A. Forbes, Jr., Senior Minister at Riverside Church where she and her family were members, “She left instructions that there be no sad funerals.” Her funeral took place on December 23 with over 2,000 people in attendance.
Hale was honored many times during her life. Despite the accolades, throughout the years, Mother Hale’s thoughts were always with the needy children who were brought to her for assistance. In 1986, she told Herschel Johnson of Ebony that, “I’d like for it to go down in history that we taught our children to be proud Black American citizens, and that they learned they could do anything, and that they could do it for themselves.”