Happy Dignity Friday,
Over the next 10 weeks I will be talking about the 10 Essentials of Dignity created by Dr. Donna Hicks, PhD ( Donna Hicks (drdonnahicks.com). I am going to look at it from the perspective of connecting and honoring our own dignity. I believe we have to build that inner strength and foundation in order to then connect to the dignity of others as well as connecting to a higher power.
When I talk about honoring our own dignity, I am saying that it is something we are born with. It is something that no one can take away from us unless we allow them too. The greatest example of that is Nelson Mandela. He survived 27 years of prison because he would not allow the guards nor the Apartheid South African government to take that away from him. It is why he was able to overcome prison and a racist system to become the first Black President of South Africa. It is what Dr. Hicks calls the “Mandela Consciousness.” This is the foundation of the Dignity Model.
Dignity: Acceptance of Identity:
Dr. Hicks defines Acceptance of Identity, “First thing you need to do when you want to honor peoples’ dignity is to accept that they are neither inferior nor superior to you. By virtue of being a human being, we all have the same inherent worth and value and the same human vulnerability. Everyone should feel free to express their authentic self without fear of being judged negatively. When you have an interaction with others, start with the orientation that no matter who they are, or what their race, religion, gender, class, or sexual orientation, it is your obligation to humanity to accept them as your spiritual equals and to do them no harm.”
I believe in order to accept the identity of other you must first come to terms with who you are.
It took me a long time to accept myself and to honor my own dignity. As a young child I lacked confidence and belief in myself. I felt I needed to get those from outside sources. I am not saying that praise and feedback are bad. I am saying that they have little effect if we cannot treat ourselves with dignity and accept who we are both the good and bad. I spent most of my life focusing on being accepted. I felt I had to live a life where I was included in both my Black world and White world. It is difficult to try and live like that because you are not true to yourself or the people around you. It builds anger and eventually not only is your dignity being violated but you are violating the dignity of others. I have hurt many people in my life because I did not care about myself. I have so many regrets but I have come to learn from them. It was not until November of 2019 when I was introduced to Dr. Hicks’ Dignity Model by Yemisi Oloruntola-Coates and Kara Wolf Diversity and Dignity champions that I truly began my Dignity journey.
I took an inventory of who I was. I looked back on my life to realize how truly blessed I have been. I have an amazing family who loves and supports me. I had great people in my life who saw what I could be truly capable of even before I did. When I began to honor my own dignity and began to be my true self, I finally understood what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. meant when he said in his I have a Dream speech, “I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
When you honor your dignity and accept your own identity you create a person who understands what dignity is and why it is important to hold on to it. It also helps to realize that you need to honor others dignity as well. This is a life-long journey. I know I am going to stumble at times but as long as I keep my eye on the prize, I will continue to grow into the person my mother instilled in me.
I encourage you to take a moment and look at your life and ask yourself do I truly accept the person that I am? Do I honor my own dignity? Do I live for the acceptance of others or do I understand my dignity belongs to me, it’s my right, and no one can take it from me?
“You only win when you maintain your dignity. Dignity always prevails.” Dr. Don Shirley from the movie Green Book.
Charles Redd RN
Dignity Freedom Fighter
Dignity Freedom Fighter 