The Right to Dignity, as reflected in the Charter of Palermo, centers this principle — “I am human” — as the foundation upon which all other rights are built and rejects frameworks that reduce individuals to administrative categories or instruments of policy. 

Social movements led by Italians and migrants in Palermo support people’s right to dignity in formal and informal ways. Anti-mafia movements long active in the city promote “legality in all its forms,” combatting exploitation in work, housing, and other aspects of people’s lives. In the 21st century, anti-mafia movements in the city and region became fundamentally migrant rights movements, as migrants replaced Sicilians in the most exploited areas of work and society. Other organizations like Right to Be, Prima gli Ultimi (“the last first”), and others likewise promote people’s right to dignity through demonstrations, cultural activities, and social programs. Migrant and diaspora community associations provide mutual support for people experiencing discrimination, whether in employment, landlord abuse, or other aspects of their lives. 

Still, participants in this research shared various experiences of discrimination and other violations of their human dignity. These range from landlords refusing to rent to people of color to exclusion from more dignified types of employment to Italians glaring at or even spitting at people of color on the street. The right to dignity was one of the most-often cited challenges among people who participated in our interviews.