The great Aretha Franklin sang it correctly. R-E-S-P-E-C-T. By singing each letter separately, she gave them all their own moment in the sun, slowing us down so we think about respect. I remember dancing to the song inspired by Aretha’s anthem at every age I can remember. From personal experiences to professional (especially with Tony & Tina’s Wedding in my life for so long), RESPECT became an anthem in my life straight from the mouth of a great Detroit artist.
In an interview, Aretha Franklin once explained the meaning behind her song as stemming from a shared need. “We all require and want respect, man or woman, black or white. It’s our basic human right.”
A basic human right.
I think it is also the job of humanity to consider respect as a practice of daily mindfullness required to sustain the basic human right for everyone. I take respect seriously. It has become an essential element of my professional life, from the classroom to the stage, and everywhere in between. It’s a key tenet of leadership, education, art, friendship, love, and family…to name a few.
I have developed a set of guidelines, the 4 R’s of respect, that I enact whenever and wherever I can. I have been thinking a lot about where this idea really started for me, i think the credit goes to my mom. When I was small and fighting with a sibling or friend or angry over some perceived slight, my mom would remind me that the person in question was someone I cared for. She’d tell me my brothers and sisters are my best friends, which is true. She would tell me that the person at school had a mom or dad who they had to go home to, and what would they have to tell their parents about me when they got home if I made them feel small. My mom showed me that the humanity of others must be respected. This is where my 4 Rs of Respect really began…with the woman who showed her children how to be fierce and yet graceful; how to fight for that which is right while not losing yourself; and, how to respect others.
I promise you if she reads this she will say my name out loud with a tone I know very well, the “I’m not all that and a bag of chips” tone. But she is.
RESPECT…it’s important. As Aretha says, it’s a basic human right.