Dignity: The War Hero, The Lady, The Storyteller, and The Protector 

I have a multiracial, multiethnic, multicultural, multireligious, and multi-political family. We may disagree on many things, and we may even get on each other’s nerves, but it is the love we have for each other that makes us the family we are. I am reminded of how fortunate we are when I see the formation of a hate group in our county. I am not naive, there are always going to be people who dislike you for how you look or what you believe but often it hides in the shadows. Now, it is becoming part of our reality and we fight it by pointing it out and standing up against it. When we allow people to see what is behind the curtain, we can put a name to it and let them know we stand unified as a community against hate. We fight with our words, and we are strong because truth and dignity are our greatest shields against racism and hate.  

It took me a long time to get to where I am. When I was young, I confronted hate with anger and aggression and then as I got older, I was constantly trying to prove that I belonged. It was hard because in both responses I was not the man my mother taught me to be. I let the thoughts of others dictate who I was. Letting people steal my dignity and not recognizing that I was not honoring my own is what led me down a dark path for much of my twenties and early thirties. Although many people helped me to change, I am going to talk about four people who helped me on the journey to become a better man. I call them the War Hero, The Lady, The Storyteller, and The Protector. 

The War Hero and The Lady were the parents of my mother-in-law and The Storyteller and The Protector were the parents of my father-in-law. When I sit down and write my book, it will be my second story after my mother and my brothers. These four people were from the Greatest Generation and for the purpose of this blog they were White. It was this important journey in my dignity walk that changed my life. Each journey was different, but each person was a valuable part of my growth as a man. There is not a day that goes by that I do not miss them. I am grateful that I opened myself to them and they did the same for me. There is no better way to build bridges than sharing part of who you are and getting the same in return.  

They got to learn about the life of a young Blackman growing up in a single parent home in Boston during the seventies and I got to learn about the lives of people who were children during the Great Depression and lived through the hardships of a World War. I learned that what we had in common outweighed our differences. I became more than just someone who married into the family. I became part of the family. I was able to just be me because I learned that was good enough for me and for them.  

You may be wondering what this has to do with hate and racism. Well because of them I learned to put aside my biases. I learned that more people are on the right side of this fight against hate. They gave me hope. They opened my eyes, which allowed me to see the world differently. They have given me the strength to speak up for those who feel they have no voice because that is what they did when they put their lives on the line during World War II. They have given me the strength to stand tall against hate. Today I take my stand with all of you to make our community a better place and give others the same opportunities that were given to me. 

To The War Hero, The Lady, The Storyteller, and The Protector I miss you and thank you for helping me be a better person, a stronger leader, and the voice of what is right. 

Charles Redd RN 

Dignity Freedom Fighter.