“It isn’t where you came from, it’s where you’re going that counts.”
Ella Fitzgerald
Growing up in a single parent household in Boston during the 70’s and 80’s brought some challenges. It was my mother, me and my two younger brothers. I often talk about my mother, and I would call her the CEO of the Redd family. Phyllis (Redd) King was the first leader I met. She decided to raise her 3 sons ages 5, 4, 2 years old on her own. The thought of raising 3 Black males in the Innercity must have been scary to my mother.
We were constantly told that the opportunity for success for us was low because of the environment we grew up in. I will tell you that my mother was having none of that conversation. She had a plan for her sons that did not include being in gangs, dead or in jail. She worked hard to give us every opportunity to be successful. It was up to us to listen to her guidance and follow the path she put before us. What made my mother the greatest leader in my life was her ability to know her children to work to their strengths and uplift their weaknesses. She treated us as individuals, but we were one family. My mother and brothers were my anchor even when I lost my way. I was never really lost because of what my mother did for us. She laid down the trail of bread crumps that always led home.
When I learned about dignity it reminded me of the things my mother tried to teach us. Dr. Donna Hicks says it best, “All human beings have a profound desire to be treated with dignity—it’s part of our evolutionary inheritance—the need to be seen in a favorable light.” My mother saw us in a favorable light even when we were not at our best. She taught us to treat others with dignity but to also expect to be treated in the same way. I am the person I am because of her and because of my brothers Ken and Tracy. The Redd Corporation is spread out along the east coast from Massachusetts to Maryland to Maine, and Florida. Although we are far apart, we still hold that closeness we had when we were young. Our CEO has gotten older like we all have but she will always be our guiding light.
This Dignity post is a tribute to my mother, the Queen of our hearts and our beacon of hope.
Thank you, Phyllis (Redd) King CEO of the Redd Family. I am the leader and person I am because of your love and sacrifice.
“A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.”
Jackie Robinson
Charles Redd RN
Dignity Freedom Fighter
Dignity Freedom Fighter 
“What made my mother the greatest leader in my life was her ability to know her children to work to their strengths and uplift their weaknesses. She treated us as individuals, but we were one family.”
This is so difficult – to look at others not based purely on how you see them or how they show up in the moment, but as individuals that are each souls that have a collection of strengths/weaknesses, traits, difference, tendencies, etc. It is my fear as a father to not be able to “see” my children and help their uniqueness shine through on their individual paths. Cheers to your mother, the CEO.
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