She also understood that life was hard. she believed that her son should seel that he 'could do anything anyone else could do.' she taught him to ignore racism. He grew up in a house hold that was full of love, where people did not talk about hostile incidents in the outside world.

A high school friend nicknamed Edward "Duke, "and the nickname stuck. At the age of twelve, he started going to the theater and to clubs. He loved hearing the stries of people who had been to other cities such as Chicago and Cleveland. His ability to listen was one of his gifts.