Training Day 2: Character as Integrity

CHARACTER = HAVING INTEGRITY (n.)

The word “integrity” comes from the Latin word integritas (n.) meaning “wholeness or completeness,” which comes from the Latin word integer (adj.) “upright and untouched.” It literally means to “have a spine.”

CHARACTER doesn't just mean KNOWING ONE'S IDENTITY OR IDENTITIES. It means HAVING INTEGRITY. It means asking questions like How do I hold on to my identities (the ones I believe in)? How do I remain “whole” and “upright”? How do I “stand my ground”? And what is "my ground"?

Four-square grid on floor. Read belief statements. Move to square indicating your position regarding this belief: Absolutely Yes, Absolutely No, Maybe so, I Don’t Know. Discuss. Here's what they looked like as they contemplated their reasons for choosing one square over another--and pondering what it felt like to be in a different square.

Research a current or historical person who had integrity and "stood his or her ground," then construct and wear a "heart" with that person's name on it and a "spine" comprised of a vertebra with the issue this person responded to, three vertebrae detailing what he or she did to take a stand or stand their ground, and one vertebra to capture the person's most intriguing saying. Their choices:

• Rachel Dolezal

• Will.i.Am

• Ai Weiwei

• Ellen Degeneres

• John Stewart

• Eleanor Roosevelt

• Jimmy Carter

• Desmond Tutu

• Nelson Mandela

• Socrates

• Eartha Kitt

• Harry Bellafonte

• Kim Fields

• Hazel Scott

• George Tekai

• Eddie Murphy

• Dorothy Dandridge

• Ava Gardner

• Aretha Franklin

• Jesse Owens

• John Cena

• JK Rowling

• Tom Shadyac

• Somewhere in America

• Rick Guidotti

• Griffin Furlong

• Wang Renzheng

• Jennifer Livingston

• Cesar Chavez

• Favio Chavez

Students wrote on a paper heart the name of the person, then on one vertebra they wrote the issue they tried to tackle, three actions the person took to stand up, and a special quotation from the person. Each student, in the end, represented one of the individuals above, and in "wearing" their heart and spine, they engaged in a valuable "walking in their shoes/spines" moment of empathy. Here are their photos:

Finally, after sharing some of our "hearts" and "spines," we transitioned from character as IDENTITY and INTEGRITY and STANDING ONE'S GROUND to character as MAKING A MARK, asking ourselves: What needs did HALO identify to us last month when we visited them? If we recognize those needs and our "ground," or beliefs about homelessness and what can be done, then what can/should/do we want to DO?