Are You a Champion of Dignity?

Photo credit: Stephen Marks (Mental Health Association of San Francisco)

Rallying cry: “What do you want? Dignity! When do you want it? Now!”

In its first ever march on Washington, the Dignity Mental Health Coalition[i] – which includes national recovery movement organizations and leaders, mental health service users, advocates, licensed mental health service providers, veterans, government employees, family members, funders, staff and management of consumer-run agencies and wellness centers, attempters and survivors of suicide, and peer supporters of all types – united in a call for dignity for all.

Why Dignity?

“‘Dignity’ has become the rallying cry for change in mental health services and public perception, domestically and internationally,” asserted Eduardo Vega (left, photo credit #MHDignityMarch)in Why Dignity is Our Destination,[ii] published on the day of the march in the Huffington Post. Vega is the director of the Center for Dignity, Recovery, and Empowerment[iii] one of the founding partners of the Dignity Mental Health Coalition.

Iden Campbell of The Campbell Center[iv], another of the founding organizers, told The Mighty[v]), [SR1] “People who have mental health issues are people and deserve the same dignity as everybody else. Having a mental health issue is not a crime.” 

Among the comments of others on the #MHDignityMarch twitter feed were: “Dignity means speaking loud and standing proud”; “Dignity means: We’re bad! We know it! We came today to show it!” And from many others: “Dignity means power…respect…inclusion…being heard and understood!... equal treatment…no stigmatizing, no labels, and no forced treatment…being looked at as a first-class citizen…loving myself…receiving care BEFORE you reach a crisis…being more than my diagnosis.” Finally, “Dignity means we can create a world where everyone affected by mental health conditions has the best chance possible to succeed and recover free from fear and isolation.”

Why Does Dignity Matter So Much?

“Recovery flourishes when people are treated with dignity,” said Vega, in a recent article in Mental Health Weekly (MHW)[vi]. He added that the following four areas were the focus of Destination Dignity: “Criminalization and incarceration, lack of funding for community supports, increases in suicides around the country, [and] low employment level for people with mental illness.”

Pre-conference Preparation and Rally

Early on August 24, 2015, the staging area in the Hyatt Regency was buzzing with volunteers dressed in matching lime green T-shirts making signs and preparing packets with lime green ribbons and kerchiefs. As the marchers arrived, Matthew Federici, director of the Copeland Center, welcomed everyone; the march was held in conjunction with the Copeland Center’s WRAP Goes to DC conference.

Eduardo Vega, Paolo del Vecchio (director of the Center for Mental Health Services of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) and Paul Gionfriddo (president and CEO of Mental Health America) were among those who galvanized the crowd before they set out on the march.

Marchers carrying lime green placards, waving lime green kerchiefs, and chanting Dignity Now! walked to the National Mall, stopping at the stage that had been set up midway between the Capitol and the Washington Monument.[vii]

Musician and mental health advocate Michael Skinner greeted the marchers with the song Walk with Me at Destination Dignity[viii] “I’m not impressed with your title and degrees/Compassion and understanding do more for me,” Skinner sang. “Can you show me, show me your humanity/Instead of talking, talking down to me/Can you sit with me, can we talk a while/And then I know you would see me smile...”

Representatives of all of the Coalition’s founding partners and many of its supporting partners addressed the marchers, speaking from their hearts.

“What do you want? Dignity! When do you want it? Now!”

Susan Rogers, director of the National Mental Health Consumers’ Self-Help Clearinghouse, speaking about the criminalization of individuals with mental health conditions. To learn more, visit her blog on Mad in America, Destination, Dignity: Focus on a Broken Criminal Justice System[ix]

Who Are These Champions of Dignity?

Some estimate that 500 people joined the March for Mental Health Dignity at the National Mall, but tens of thousands of were reached through the Destination Dignity campaign. Those who participated, whether in person or in spirit, have been initiated into a “dignity community.”

Now we need to continue to nurture dignity as a social justice movement, perhaps by finding new ways to recognize those who are already championing dignity, often for no greater reward than lives and dreams restored. If it is true that what we focus on grows, than perhaps our focus needs to remain on those heroes who are already showing us the way.

For a great compilation of images from Destination Dignity, visit the PRA website or view the video on YouTube:

Video link: https://youtu.be/RJNOSiOmGuA