By: Taylor Akers, Preservation Associate
In 2023, the Consortium’s “Intersection of Race and Disability” project featured the impactful life and work of the late disability rights advocate David Hale (1978-2020). David was a powerful force in Pittsburgh and spent much of his life as a musician, poet, motivational speaker, and youth minister. His email moniker, “student encourager,” reflected David’s motivational spirit. At the age of 40, David was diagnosed with cancer and passed away soon afterward. You can read more about his important contributions to Pittsburgh’s history here.
As a Black Pittsburgh native living with the congenital condition spina bifida, David was one of the twelve individuals featured in the Consortium’s “Intersection of Race and Disability” project. This project is a component of the Consortium’s “Voices of Change” effort, which documents and shares the stories of people who navigate the overlap of disability with other aspects of identity, such as race, gender, LGBTQ+ identity, mental health experiences, and more.
The initial research, interviews, and written histories about the subjects featured in the Consortium’s “Intersection of Race and Disability” project were funded by grants from the FISA Foundation (2022) and the Mellon Foundation (2023-2024). With these funds, the Consortium completed the 12 histories.
In 2024, the Consortium received a grant from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission to expand documentation, preservation and sharing of the contributions of Hale and the 11 other subjects. Connecting with David’s sister, Tonya Hale, and David’s close friend, Varnum Holland, the Consortium was able to share even more of David’s life through interviews and gifted photographs.
Because the Consortium maintains a digital-only archive, additional physical materials were collected by the Consortium’s affiliate, the Heinz History Center. It was through this partnership that Sierra Green, Chief Senior Outreach Archivist, and Emily Ruby, Curator, at the Heinz History Center and members of the Consortium’s Steering Committee, were able to move David’s story toward an expanded, physical collection.
Following the Consortium acting as liaison for this effort, Sierra Green and Emily Ruby met with Tonya Hale at her home to review David’s materials. Tonya generously donated a rich collection of David’s original writings, which include written remarks from speeches as well as business planning documents relating to his career as a motivational speaker. These writings are complimented by an array of photographs that document David’s life – from quality time with his family to early therapeutic interventions at the Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh. David’s collection also contains images of him participating in school activities, playing music, and delivering speeches. Tonya also donated David’s guitar to the History Center’s artifact collection.
Plans call for the archival collection to be processed and made available at the History Center’s Detre Library and Archives. David’s guitar will be catalogued by the Heinz History Center collections team. It is an honor for the Consortium and Heinz History Center to document David Hale’s life and ensure that his materials are available for presentations, exhibits, research, and as a notable contribution to Western Pennsylvania disability history.
