“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character,” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
We can debate what Dr. King meant when he said this on August 28, 1963, but today is not that day. The important part of this statement for me is that we judge people by their character not how they look. I believe we can change our character and the person we are, but we can’t change the color of our skin. Who wants to be judged just by how they look? I don’t. I want people to see me as a person who honors the dignity of all. I am Black. I am a man but there is so much more to me than that. It is my character that I hope will be what people judge me by. Good or bad, that is what I want.
Today I am challenged to hold my emotions together. I am normally a calm person but not today. My 22-year-old child was at work Thursday evening and a customer wanted someone to wait on him who wasn’t Black except he did not use the word Black. He used the N-word. When is it ok to use that word, I believe the answer is never. When is it ok to say I want a White person to serve me because N-Words charge you double so that they can steal. The answer is never. These are the moments as a parent you wish you were there, because you want to protect your family from HATE!
Because of my anger my thoughts are everywhere today. I try to understand what is happening in the world as well as what is happening around us in our small community of Berkshire County. Just when you think things are getting better the world turns upside down and reality slaps you in the face. It makes you want to hide in your room and ignore the world outside, but I won’t do that. Honoring dignity has taught me to stand tall and not allow anyone to rob me of my dignity. I believe it is wrong to judge people based on their race and ethnicity. I do not support the thought that because I am this color or this sex, I hold these views. I choose to deal with a person as an individual. I will make my determination based on their character. Dignity teaches me that. It is when we put people in groups and say they are all the same is when we get in trouble.
I have been blessed to have all kinds of people in my life. I could not do the work I do if it were not for the diverse community of people who believed in me. I could not have become the kind of nurse I am without understanding that I needed to put my biases aside and treat the person who came for help with dignity. So, to all of you who want to rob others of their dignity by calling them fowl names or threatening people’s lives because they are different than you. I say, “No More”. I stand with those who are marginalized. I stand with those who have been beaten down to the point where they have no voice. I stand with those who champion dignity and give hope to the hopeless.
I say to my middle child stand tall and continue to be that bright light that shines from a heart filled with love and compassion. Just like your mother taught you.
“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” Nelson Mandela
Charles Redd RN
Dignity Freedom Fighter
Dignity Freedom Fighter 