I did not post a dignity message last week. I tried but it was just one of those days where I had a million things flowing through my mind, but I just couldn’t get my thoughts down in words. In a time where we should be talking about the things, we are thankful for it is hard when we see what is happening across this country and around the world. It is hard to ignore reality when it is staring you right in the face. We can’t avoid it. Hate seems to have ruled the day. It has entered our schools, our workplaces, and our homes. People feel free to say I don’t like you because of your race, your religion, or the way you talk. We judge people by what they look like and what they believe, not by who they are. Every day my family, my friends, and my colleagues are experiencing hate and anger from those who see them as different. I know this because it is what they tell me. I know this because I have experienced it myself.
I could make this post about my struggle with discrimination and hate. I could talk about my experiences over the last few weeks, or I could talk about the stories I have been told by coworkers about their encounters with bias and discrimination against them. These stories are hard to hear because we want to believe that times have changed and that things are different. I am not sure. If we watch the news, we think things have not nor will they ever change. The me I was in my twenties would have told you the world is a terrible place especially if you were Black like me. When I became a nurse, I learned that I needed to put those thoughts aside, but it was hard because I didn’t know how too. My experiences in the world dictated how I saw people and how I treated them. I made a choice that I would not allow my dignity to be violated again because I was going to get you first. I will tell you that it doesn’t work if you are a nurse or just living your daily life. Violations of dignity leave the door open for hate.
As I have learned the value of dignity, I talk about it all the time. Dignity is the foundation of all that we do. I am a better person because I understand the value of honoring dignity. Dignity isn’t just about being nice. It is about honesty and understanding. It is about making right what you made wrong. It is about giving feedback good or bad. It seems so simple but as Dr. Donna Hicks, PhD talks about the key factor to any conflict is that one or both parties believed their dignity was violated that is how powerful dignity is.
I can’t change the world, but I can change my little piece of it. So right now, I am going to take this moment to say what I am grateful for. I am grateful for my family and friends. I am grateful for the career opportunities I have been given. I am grateful for the amazing people I get to work with every day. I am grateful for the second, third, and one-hundredth chance I have been given to change. I am grateful for the amazing community leaders I get to work with to help make a difference in the community we live in, and I am grateful that so many read this post.
I want to say to my friends and family who are struggling today, “I am here for you.” You are in my prayers. I stand tall with you against Hate. We can’t change the world, but we can change our corner of it by making Dignity our mission and our vision
Charles Redd RN
Dignity Freedom Fighter
Dignity Freedom Fighter 