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The person I choose that best describes what America means to me is Ed Bradley. Ed Bradley was an African American reporter best known for his work on the news show Sixty Minutes. The reason I chose him is because even though the deck was always stacked against him in his life, he still worked hard and was able to achieve greatness.
He lived in a divorced family, his father lived in Detroit and owned a vending machine business and worked at a restaurant, while his mother lived in Philadelphia with Ed and also worked two jobs. Ed did not let his home life get in the way though he believed he could become anything he wanted to if he set his mind to it. That is one of the properties ideas of the American dream, the opportunity to do anything.
In 1964 Ed got his bachelors degree from Cheyney State College. It was not easy for him to find work considering the fact that he was a Black man looking for work at the end of the Civil rights movement. The best paying job he was able to find was working as a sixth grade teacher at a public school. He worked a second non-paying job as a disc jockey and news reporter for WDAS-FM Radio. One day the station found itself short staffed when rioting broke out in north Philadelphia. Ed took the opportunity to cover the story for 48 hours straight and prove himself as a capable reporter.
This job lead to many other opportunities. He soon got a job for CBS. In which he rapidly gained respect by covering the Vietnam War, the Jimmy Carter Campaign and soon after becoming a Whitehouse correspondent. Even though being a Whitehouse correspondent was a very important position he found it boring and not exciting. He quit to take over for Dan Rather as a correspondent for sixty minutes. He died from Leukemia November 9th 2006.