I remember in high school we would be asked to write a paragraph introducing ourselves to the rest of the class then the teacher would read them and the class would try and guess who it was that wrote it. This was the type of assignment I did not care about. My handwriting was terrible and my spelling was even worse. It was embarrassing to have the teacher struggle to read your essay and then you had to admit it was you who wrote it. Back then I was challenged with defining who I was and what my dreams were. In high school I wasn’t a star athlete or one of the top students. I was just this quiet and shy kid who was trying to go unnoticed. As I fast forward to today I wonder what I would write if I had to do this assignment in 2026. Which presents the question what are the things that make you the person you are today?
For much of my life I was desperate for attention and recognition. I put my confidence in titles and things. I didn’t care about the person I was becoming. I wanted to be seen, I wanted the acknowledgment, I wanted the acceptance from others that was the only way I could feel like I was somebody. The problem with that is when you depend on others to fulfill your needs, then you give them the power to take everything away from you. It has happened to me too many times to count. I was building my foundation with sand, and one good storm would wash everything away.
This is why the story of Nelson Mandela means so much to me. Think about it. He went to prison for twenty-seven years. Everything was taken from him with no hope for freedom. How did he build a foundation of stone in a place that was meant to strip him of his dignity and where he could possibly spend the rest of his life. Robben Island Prison was known to breakdown the strongest of people, and they tried to breakdown Nelson Mandela, but he stayed strong and held tight to his dignity, but it wasn’t an easy battle to win when you are not in a position of power.
If you read his autobiography, you will learn that Nelson Mandela not only had a strong connection to his own dignity, but he had a connection to something higher. His faith is what kept him strong and made him the person that the people of South Africia voted to be the President of South Africa. He became a great leader at the worst time of his life. He did not let being unjustly imprisoned define who he was. This is what I strive for in myself.
I have been successful and had fancy titles, and I allowed those successes and those praises to define me until someone took them away not because I didn’t do a good job but because they wanted to go in a different direction or the company had to make financial decisions. I was at my lowest point because I allowed those things to define me. By honoring dignity, I have come to learn what many great leaders like Mandela have learned “Anyone who tries to rob me of my dignity will fail.” and from the movie the Green Book, “You only win when you maintain your dignity.”
In the darkness and in the light, I try to remain true to myself. It is not easy, but I work hard every day to be the person that leads with dignity like my friends Dr. Donna Hicks PhD and Yemisi Oloruntola-Coates.
As Casting Crowns says in the song American Dream, “I’ll take a shack on a rock
Over a castle in the sand.”
Charles Redd RN
Dignity Freedom Fighter
Dignity Freedom Fighter 