Darlene A. Hall, Ph.D.

Who I am: I am Dr. Darlene A Hall, a Black lesbian Psychologist with strong social justice values. I am the 4th of 5 children raised in a single parent Black home in a low-income household in a predominantly Black neighborhood of of Freeport Blvd. in Sacramento, CA I was bused to predominantly white middle-class schools beginning in kindergarten, knew I liked girls at 5, and had my first social justice thought in 4th grade in relation to economic disparities. My college career began in 1983 at Sacramento City College (SCC), and while SCC was free to attend at that time, I received several small scholarships at the end of my senior year in high, school (attended C. K McClatchy down the street from SCC), which paid for my books and other incidentals needed for college life. My academics ended in 1997 when I earned a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology. For over 23 years, I have provided mental health services to communities I care about: women, people of color, LGBTQ, children/ youth, low-income (and all the combinations therein). Current, I am 55 years old, have a part-time private psychotherapy practice, and have a consulting business, Intersections Consulting. Always striving for balance, I enjoy playing sports, reading, writing, musicals, Star Trek and other sci fi/fantasy, volunteering in my various communities, gardening, and spending time with people like my brother who make me laugh.

Who Corine M Hall was: Corine M Hall is my mother. She died of pancreatic cancer in September, 2019, six days before my 54th birthday. My mother was born in 1930 in Waynesburg, OH and was the oldest of 6 children. Her mother died when she was 8 years old, leaving her to be raised primarily by her paternal grandparents and father who was an alcoholic. She left home at 18 to attend Tuskegee Institute, a Historically Black College University (HBCU). She did so by writing a letter to Tuskegee asking what they could do for someone with “high ambition and low finances.” Tuskegee accepted her into a program where she spent her time both as student and working on campus. She graduated from Tuskegee in 1954. My one prized possession that I never saw until after she died now sits on my home office desk her Tuskegee Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education. While my mother did not work as a teacher for most of her working life (she retired from the State of CA at the age of 65), she used her skills as a teacher with all 5 of her children. She also raised all 5 of her children to value education. Each of us has a college degree. ALL that I am is because of my mother.

Why I donate: One of my many social justice values is giving back. I give back to Sacramento City College in honor of the values I gained from my mother regarding the importance of education. I give back to Sacramento City College in honor of this institution being the foundation for my 11.5 years of college education. I give back because both my mother and I knew how limited financial resources can cut down an educational dream. I give back to help other students with limited financial resources achieve their academic dreams.