FHBB's 2025 Word of the Year: Dignity

Jennie Jordan, Engagement Manager
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How should we treat people? For a long time, I was taught people should be treated with RESPECT. I needed to respect my family, my teachers and adults in general. I knew I needed to be kind and to speak with deference, but I didn’t know why. I didn’t understand why I should be required to do these things, but I did it because it felt right. As I’ve aged and matured, I found the word all the grownups should have taught me instead.

Dignity.

One word made a difference in understanding why I should practice kindness and understanding with every person whether they are my parent, my child, or a stranger.

Respect is earned.

When we treat someone with respect, we expect that respect to be returned and have lots of feelings when that is not the case. The people we “respect” are those who we deem worthy of our respect- and we all have different frameworks that define "worthy".

Dignity is a given.

There is no requirement to treat someone with dignity. Everyone has the right to be treated with kindness, care and compassion. This isn’t because of a quality, ability or achievement. No. This is the right to be treated fairly and valued as a person because of someone's inherent humanity.

​FHBB’s word of the year is DIGNITY. Our goal within our mission is to treat everyone with dignity. Each person in our community deserves this. As we transition to our new building at 2326 Sky Vue, we’ll be making decisions with the guide of “does this impart dignity?”. And as we navigate our community, state and nation, we’ll ask ourselves if it’s something done with dignity and if not, how do we move it in that direction.