“I want to suggest some of the things that should begin your life’s blueprint. Number one…should be a deep belief in your own dignity. Your worth and your own somebodiness… Always feel that you count. Always feel that you have worth, and always feel that your life has ultimate significance.” DR. Martin Luther King Jr.
The above quote was sent to me by a friend and fellow Dignity Freedom Fighter. She told me she saw this quote by Dr. King on a walk in a park in San Diego, California. It was an important message for her on that day but not only that, it was an important message that she in turn shared with me and I now share with you. It is a reminder that we will have dignity and that our life has value and significance no matter who we are. I need that constant reminder every day.
I have achieved much in my life. I have worked hard and have accomplished more than I ever thought possible. I spent most of my adult life wanting to be seen. I felt invisible. I looked for self-worth and dignity through job titles and praises. I did not realize that I had those things already. When you are seeking your dignity from the outside world you lose your peripheral vision. Your focus is straight ahead, and you do not care who you run over to get what you are looking for not realizing you had it all along. I will admit I went through many people to get what I already had. I wish I realized sooner that I had dignity and worth, then maybe I would have caused less pain for myself and others. My past is a reminder of what I was and who I am now. I have the opportunity to ask for forgiveness and to give back. As my youngest brother Tracy says, “Every day is a new day for redemption.”
When I became the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Officer for Berkshire Health back in August of 2022, I promised myself that my focus would be to help those who did not feel they had a voice. Over the last five months what I have come to realize is that I am not alone on this journey. There are people just like me in this organization and in Berkshire County who have been the voice of the voiceless for a long time. I am part of a team of people dedicated to making a difference and helping people recognize they have dignity and worth no matter where they are in their journey. When I tell people that I am the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Officer for all 130,000+ in Berkshire County I mean that. My success does not come from the praises I receive, it comes from the opportunity to help others achieve.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Said, “An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”
I want you to know I am proud of what I have been able to accomplish but more than that I have been blessed with the opportunity to make a difference for others. I want to see others succeed far beyond where they ever thought they could. It is my hope and that is my dream.
Happy Birthday Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., although you are no longer with us your words and your dreams live on.
Charles Redd RN
Dignity Freedom Fighter
Dignity Freedom Fighter 