Dignity: Keep Hope Alive 

I was asked yesterday by a friend and colleague do I ever run out of things to say every week. I told her that I never know what I am going to write until I sit in front of my computer and start typing. The words are mine, but the message comes from someplace higher. As a person of faith, I believe that. This blog is really a message to my inner self that I share with all of you. It is a reminder to me about the importance of honoring dignity. I share it with you because I hope in my message to me it can make a difference for you or someone you know. It is why I encourage you to share it with others who you think may benefit from the words I share. 

Today, my bother Tracy’s words are ringing in my head, “Every day we get is a new day for redemption.” I take those words to heart. Today is a gift we open as soon as we wake up. I am struggling with many things today but what keeps me moving forward is the opportunity to give back to others. There is no greater feeling, and it is what keeps me moving forward every day even when I don’t want to.  

I had the opportunity to speak to the nursing class at Berkshire Community College (BCC) this week. I graduated from the BCC nursing program in 1995. It was my opportunity to give back to a college that helped open doors for me that I never believed could be opened. They took a 26-year-old man who was ashamed to read a story book to his child because he struggled with reading to a person who was able to stand up in front of a college class and talk for almost two hours. BCC invested in my success and 28 years later I was able to start to give back to those who saw something in me I couldn’t see in myself. 

The other amazing thing about that day is that I was able to see what Berkshire Health Systems Pipeline nursing program was doing for those who may not have had the opportunity to go to nursing school. In my class in 1995 there were 2 people of color in the class. In the class of 2025, the diversity of this class stood out with many in the class from the country of Ghana. We are giving people the opportunity to have an amazing career in nursing while also giving them the opportunity to change their lives and the lives of others. I am blessed to be able to be a part of this. 

When you are involved in the opportunity to change another person’s life there is no greater gift. Just like the chance that was given to me it is now my turn to give back. It is my day for redemption. It is how I move forward when the challenges of life try to stop me. We were given a gift, and it is called the present so what will you do with your present. Mine will be to give back and honor those who have given to me. 

Charles Redd RN 

Dignity Freedom Fighter