For lawyer from Harlem, the American dream is ‘being able to create a masterpiece of my own life’

Through July 4, The Post, in conjunction with the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream, is featuring US citizens explaining what the American dream means to them in 2026. Among them is Khadijah Sharif-Drinkard, Senior Vice President for Business Affairs at ABC News and the author of the new book “Power Reimagined: My Mission to Get It, Grow It, and Give It Away.”

The American dream to me is being able to create a masterpiece of my own life out of a blank canvas — the opportunity to be able to transform …  something that was a challenge into something that is in fact, an opportunity … 

I actually grew up, as a challenge, [in] Harlem New York. I’m one of six children, growing up in Manhattan housing projects … [it was a] mix between the Harlem Renaissance in some ways but also the epicenter of the crack cocaine era …  I always felt a sense of excitement about being in Harlem,  a sense of possibility, despite some of the challenges that we have there … I learned early on that you had to be vigilant about standing up for yourself in many ways, but also passionate about seeking the educational opportunities that you actually needed to be successful in life …

As a young kid … I always knew I wanted to go to law school. I read about people like Barbara Jordan, who was a Congresswoman out of Texas. and Shirley Chisholm, who was a Congresswoman out of Brooklyn, New York … And so I saw the law as a vehicle to help people to articulate ideas and to communicate the things that needed to be fixed in our communities … I initially went to law school to be a human rights lawyer, and then, decided that I …  had a passion for media as well. So I figured a way to try to mesh both of them by doing delegations on human rights issues at the same time as I practiced media law …

The American dream is not just about what you get, but what you give … I think that’s probably the biggest thing for me.

The American Dream Video Project showcases real stories that illuminate pathways to opportunity. Featured at the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream (MCAAD), this series is part of the Center’s celebration of America’s 250th anniversary. MCAAD is Washington, DC’s newest cultural institution, offering interactive exhibits and stories about achieving the American Dream. For more information, visit mcaad.org.