Be Sure to Fill in the Blanks
August 12, 2025by Victor Valentine, CEO of NHSA
“Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”
—Martin Niemöller
As summer winds down, I’m reminded why I prefer character-driven films over explosive blockbusters. Stories with well-developed characters feel real—and that connection changes everything.
In movies, kidnappers are often urged to hear and repeat a victim’s name, making it harder to see them as an object. In life, the same principle applies: when “the victim” becomes Pat, “the homeless” becomes Avery, “the transgender” becomes Terry, or “the migrant” becomes Alex, they’re no longer faceless—they’re human.
Too often, our public discourse reduces people to labels or statistics. At the National Human Services Assembly, our work centers on restoring humanity to those in need—giving names, faces, and voices to the “data points” behind policies and programs.
Human services leaders have an opportunity to be proactive: urging policymakers to move beyond headline-grabbing “blockbuster” approaches and focus instead on the real people affected. As in filmmaking, focusing on character leads to more meaningful outcomes—and those are the stories worth remembering when awards—or elections—come around.