The Word of the Day

 

It’s Election Day. Time for a few words about why I voted the way I voted. No time like the present.

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Lately a word has been popping up in various articles and social media posts that interest me. It has appeared enough times recently that it’s clearly more than coincidence. That word is dignity.

An example:

I was surprised to see the word “dignified” in this tweet. I wasn’t sure I understood what it meant in this particular context. So I started doing some research on the root word. I found the following information on the website of advocacy group Cultures of Dignity. 

Dignity, the belief that all humans have equal worth and value, is the foundation of our work. Everyone has dignity. Everyone has the same amount. It cannot be earned or lost.  Dignity is a given. It is an absolute. It is a non-negotiable right. 

It may seem simple that everyone has essential value.  However, the practice of using dignity to guide our interactions with each other is actually a radical shift.  And while we are all born with dignity, we are not born knowing how to act in ways that honor everyone’s dignity, including our own. 

Take a moment to remember an adult you respected when you were growing up. Your answer is most likely based on how that person treated you and others, not how successful or powerful they were. You respected them because they were treating others with dignity.  - - What is Dignity?

As I’ve been sorting out my thoughts about Election Day and what matters most to me, I found this concept of dignity rising once again to the surface. I realized that this belief was central to the choices I made when I filled out my ballot, that “…everyone has dignity. Everyone has the same amount. It cannot be earned or lost.  Dignity is a given. It is an absolute. It is a non-negotiable right.”

This is why, in the race for County Executive, I continue to support Calvin Ball. Over the past four years the day-to-day choices he has made and the priorities he has set for the future are rooted in the concept of honoring basic human dignity. Under his leadership it has been clear that Howard County is for everyone. Whether collaborating with public health officials to establish COVID-safe protocols or working with local advocacy groups to improve opportunities and quality of life, Ball’s commitment to honoring the innate worth of everyone in our community shines through. 

His opponent, whose record in local leadership is widely known, does not meet that standard. And that’s a deal breaker for me.

In the Board of Education race, only two of the four candidates have proven to me that they 1) understand this concept and 2) would work to embody it on the school board. Again, from Cultures of Dignity:

Dignity is a framework that forces a shift in our understanding of human behavior and relationships. A framework which radically shifts our interactions and our cultures. Frequently we think dignity and respect are the same thing, but they are fundamentally different. Dr. Donna Hicks, author of Dignity: Its Essential Role in Resolving Conflict, articulates the difference:

“Dignity is different from respect. Dignity is a birthright. We have little trouble seeing this when a child is born; there is no question about children’s value and worth. If only we could hold onto this truth about human beings as they grow into adults, if only we could continue to feel their value, then it would be so much easier to treat them well and keep them safe from harm. Treating others with dignity, then, becomes the baseline for our interactions. We must treat others as if they matter, as if they are worthy of care and attention…Others’ bad behavior doesn’t give us license to treat them badly in return. Their inherent value and worth needs to be honored no matter what they do. But we don’t have to respect them. They have to earn respect through their behavior and actions.” - - Bring Dignity into Your School and Transform Culture

When people clamor to erase or even shame LGBTQ+ students and families in our schools, it is an outright negation of their inherent dignity. It is a choice to devalue some with the intent of centering and valuing others. The same is true of the demand to suppress books and/or curriculum that tell the truth about America’s history and invite discussion and self-reflection. It clearly communicates to students and families that their value and worth is negotiable and dispensable. 

Our schools are for all children. Their dignity should be non-negotiable. Dan Newberger and Jacky McCoy have established throughout their campaigns that they understand and honor the mission of our public schools and will work in good faith with all the people who make up our local school system. Their professional skills and experiences have prepared them for this work. Their commitment to make choices that honor the inherent dignity of all students is why they got my vote.

Finally, Question A asks County residents to affirm by referendum what has already been enacted into law by the County Council in the Liberty Act, “…which prevents County employees from asking about the immigration status of residents, discriminating based on immigration status, and requiring that certain information related to citizenship be kept confidential in Howard County.” I strongly supported passage of the Liberty Act, so I strongly supported voting yes on Question A.

Why? You guessed it: dignity. The Liberty Act begins with the assumption that everyone in our community has value. It honors their lives, their work, protects personal privacy, and makes our community safer for everyone.

If only we could hold onto this truth about human beings as they grow into adults, if only we could continue to feel their value, then it would be so much easier to treat them well and keep them safe from harm. Treating others with dignity, then, becomes the baseline for our interactions. We must treat others as if they matter, as if they are worthy of care and attention…

If you have listened carefully to candidates and read campaign literature with a discerning eye, it is not difficult to notice when people are inviting you to value some and not others. It is baked into their campaign message. It’s not merely about whether those others are to be liked, admired, or respected. The message is clear: it’s okay with us to say that some people don’t have the basic human dignity we claim for ourselves. We don’t have to recognize it or allow it.

They may have plenty of excuses and loud arguments but their premise is wrong and will always be wrong. Our democracy is worthless without our commitment to create and sustain communities that value everyone. And that’s why I voted the way I voted. 

It may seem simple that everyone has essential value.  However, the practice of using dignity to guide our interactions with each other is actually a radical shift.  And while we are all born with dignity, we are not born knowing how to act in ways that honor everyone’s dignity, including our own. 

Every day is an opportunity to learn, to choose, to work for something better. 

Vote.