“The fact that it’s an HBCU is important ... but we still have a long way to go,” he said. “Dr. Edwards is bringing an institution of higher learning back to the city that has a 21st mission of designing.
With the Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design, Edwards wants to show young Black men and women that they can fulfill their wildest dreams, like the one he had of playing in the NBA while growing up in Inglewood, Calif. While he never made it playing professional basketball, he has designed sneakers for some of the biggest names the sport has ever seen, including Michael Jordan and Carmelo Anthony.
Almost a century after its initial founding date, the Lewis school is getting a second start. And with the rebirth of the college, many supporters see the possibility of what could be — the restoration of a booming economy in Detroit and a renaissance of a budding industry that has historically left Black America behind.