The sudden loss of Ed Bradley - 11.9.2006.1

“Because when it gets to the point where it's not fun anymore, I've always hoped that I would have the courage to say goodbye and walk away from it.” – Ed Bradley

Today is a sad day. It has nothing to do with the democratic win, or the preference of the media to hype any negative news affecting Black Americans, Latinos/Hispanics or other minorities. [Comments on all that can be seen at Where is Bill Cosby's good news coverage? - 11.8.2006.1, What may the next 2 years look like? - 11.8.2006.1]

Today we all lost a strong voice for knowledge and integrity. I am speaking of the loss of Mr. Ed Bradley. It was a sudden loss, with no warning for most people including many of those that worked with him. I’ve heard reports that the cause of Mr. Bradley’s death was a recurrence of his leukemia that had been in remission. If the reports are correct it came back with a vengeance, taking him from the world in just 3 days.

That is a shame though. It gave us no time to prepare. But Mr. Bradley has let us all many memories to recall him by. Whether it is his work in Cambodia, or Paris peace talks, or with President Carter, or his last piece on the Duke rape case we have all had chances to see and learn about ourselves and the world via Mr. Bradley.

Because of his work ethic, inspired by both of his parents, we have learned about events not only worldwide but from the past as well. The 1923 Rosewood Massacre became part of the social consciousness for many due to his landmark reporting. It was reports such as this that earned him 6 duPont Awards, 19 Emmys, 4 George Foster Peabody’s, a Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award, and a lifetime achievement award from the National Association of Black Journalists among other awards and achievements.

Mr. Bradley broke ground in many ways. He was the first African American correspondent to the White House, the first Black American to be on air in New York City in 1968, and was one of the first Black journalists of fame in the nation. He was known for his intelligence, integrity, and dedication.

There are 2 quotes from Mr. Bradley that I want to close with:

Be prepared, work hard, and hope for a little luck. Recognize that the harder you work and the better prepared you are, the more luck you might have.

and

You know, I think I still have a sense that no matter what you do, no matter what you achieve, no matter how much success you have, no matter how much money you have, relationships are important.

I think his words say more than I can.

This is what I think, what do you think?