One of the things I love about my job as Diversity Officer is the opportunity to meet the people in the community I live in and serve. There is no greater gift than when people invite you into their world and treat you like family. I work hard to continue to build those relationships because if we want to face the challenges ahead of us, we must be able to work together. I am at home when I am out in the community. I grew up in Boston and hanging out with your neighbors talking or competing against each other in basketball, baseball, street hockey, or even kickball was our reality growing up. Many of our conflicts were solved on the court or the concrete baseball field where we used trash can lids and shirts as bases.
I grew up in a multicultural community when I was young. Many of our competitions were between Bodwell Street and Drayton Avenue. Bodwell Street where I lived was primarily Black and on Drayton Avenue most of the neighborhood was Hispanic. We had some epic battles on the field, especially baseball. We would have a hard time communicating because of the language barrier but when it came to the language of sports the communication was loud and clear. We formed a bond that was strengthened in competition. We would live in our own world most days but on Saturday those worlds collided in a game that required a stick and a ball. I wish we had cellphone cameras back then. We would argue calls us in English them in Spanish and somehow, we were able to communicate. I never realized how much those moments would shape me into the person I am working hard to become.
On Wednesday I attended a meeting of a community group called Roots Raising. It was a great meeting with both young and old attending. Most of the people in the room spoke Spanish and I do not but it reminded me of my days in Boston. I just listened. The music of the language brought back memories of a time long ago. I was at home, and it was wonderful. They were so patient with me and translated into English, but it sounded so much better in Spanish. They thanked me for being patient with them, but I was grateful that they invited me in and welcomed me into the family. I sat around a table of people who wanted to build a better life for themselves, their children, and their community. We wanted the same things, and that common goal broke down the language barriers. It also remined me how important it will be as a health system to improve access to care by improving navigation for those whose primary language is not English.
At the end of every meeting, they take a group picture. I was included. I want them to know what that meant to me. I was not Charles Redd from Berkshire Health System. I was a member of the team. I was part of the family. It will be in those moments that we will discover that we want the same things. The desire to be treated with dignity and that we are given the same opportunities to succeed.
So, I say to my friends at Roots Raising and to all the people I have met in the communities across the Berkshires. We are in this fight together and if we continue to honor dignity we will always win because dignity is the bridge over all barriers.
Charles Redd RN
Dignity Freedom Fighter.
Dignity Freedom Fighter 