“One of the most difficult things is not to change society, but to change yourself.”
Nelson Mandela.
I have read “Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela” twice. I also have it on my phone as an audio file. I listen to it as much as I listen to Dr. Donna Hicks’ book on “Leading with Dignity” Nelson Mandela is the true definition of what dignity is. Dr. Hicks’ calls it the “Mandela Consciousness.” It is the fact that our dignity belongs to us. We do not earn it through outside approval and acknowledgement, but it is ours at birth and no one can take it from us. It is what allowed Nelson Mandela the ability to serve 27 years of false imprisonment and made him the first Black President of South Africa. His story reminds me that anything is possible.
The quote above defines my journey as the Diversity Officer. I went into this role thinking I could change society but what I have come to learn is that I needed to change myself first. My journey in learning about my community has changed how I see my role. I have seen the numbers, so I knew we had things we needed to address in Berkshire County but the numbers, although important, are not the whole story. It is the people and the community that help drive change. It is those who honor the dignity of others that can change society but, in that journey, we also begin to change who we are.
As I continue to meet people in our organization (Berkshire Health) and in our community of Berkshire County It has strengthened my belief that honoring dignity is at the heart of all who are trying to help those who are most vulnerable. When we honor dignity that is what drives us to help others because we want to connect to the dignity of others which drives us to connect to the dignity of something greater. Let me give you an example.
I met with some of the amazing people who work at Berkshire Harm Reduction in Pittsfield, and I will soon be visiting the North Adams and Great Barrington programs. I have heard of the program through seeing presentations, but I never had a true understanding of the work they do. I sat down with Sarah DeJesus the Program Manager, and she gave me a brief overview of the program and what they do. Just in that hour long meeting I could see the passion and dedication she and her team had for our most at risk population in Berkshire County. Their come as you are, and we will help you philosophy is a true example of honoring the dignity of others. Creating that judgement free zone is what allows them to help those with substance use disorder.
I shared with Sarah my journey in understanding why we needed syringe exchanges and Narcan distribution in the community. I thought we should be investing money in prevention and treatment but my experience as an emergency department director changed all of that. I grew to understand that our job is to help no matter why they are there to see us. We must check our judgements at the door and commit to helping all those who ask no matter why.
I also want to commend Sarah and her team for their groundbreaking Hepatitis C treatment program which treats all no matter what their sobriety status is. Just like we would never hold back medications for a diabetic that continues their high sugar diet or a person who has heart failure who continues to eat a high sodium diet why should we hold back treatment Hep C treatment for those who maybe continuing to struggle with drug use. Our role as healthcare providers is to treat, teach and honor dignity. We must put our biases and judgments aside for the good of the people we have committed to helping.
Thank you harm reduction for reminding us of the importance of honoring the dignity of others and thank you for helping me understand how I must continue to grow, change, and honor dignity.
Charles Redd RN
Dignity Freedom Fighter
Dignity Freedom Fighter 