He as soon as reimagined sneakers; now he’s reimagining education.
As back-to-school season continues, Dr. D’Wayne Edwards, the visionary HBCU President who went from drawing Jordans in Inglewood to designing for Biggie, Nas, and Nike, is now making waves in a complete new lane and telling BOSSIP all about it.
The legendary footwear designer turned schooling disruptor is stepping past the classroom and straight into the cloud with eHBCU, the first-ever digital platform bringing traditionally Black schools and tradition into the long run.tech-savvy motion geared toward uniting Black brilliance, shattering obstacles, and making the wealthy legacy of HBCUs clickable, customizable, and culturally rooted.
“It’s about entry. It’s about fairness. And it’s about evolving how we attain our folks,” Edwards informed BOSSIP.
Backed by a powerhouse crew of six associate faculties — Delaware State, Alabama State, Pensole Lewis Faculty of Enterprise & Design, and all three Southern College campuses — eHBCU.edu lets college students study from anyplace, at any time, whereas staying plugged into their Black heritage. Image taking lessons from a number of HBCUs, incomes transferable credit, and nonetheless getting these soul-stirring, culture-rich experiences that make HBCUs what they’re.
And the impression is already going viral.
eHBCU made its official in-person debut at this 12 months’s ESSENCE Competition, the place the platform pulled as much as the World Black Financial Discussion board’s Recruitment Heart with an immersive sales space filled with vibes. From digital photograph periods and “What’s Your E?” storytelling partitions to mentorship sign-ups and reside confessions, hundreds got here by means of to faucet into the way forward for Black schooling, multi function buzzing, tech-powered area.
On July 4, Edwards himself took to the GBEF mainstage, delivering a gem-filled speak on monetary literacy and the ability of data.
“Data is wealth. That’s our mindset at eHBCU,” he mentioned. “By coming collectively, we’re not simply closing the schooling hole — we’re creating new lanes for Black success to thrive.”
And let’s not overlook: Dr. Edwards nonetheless runs Pensole Lewis, the nation’s solely design-centered HBCU, which he revived in Detroit with a mission to construct artistic pipelines and alter the face of product design. His college students have already landed a whole lot of trade gigs.
What began as a small design academy in Portland was a legacy undertaking in Detroit. There, he teamed up with the household of Dr. Violet T. Lewis, the founding father of the Lewis Faculty of Enterprise, an HBCU initially launched in 1928 to create alternatives for Black girls.
In 2022, Edwards resurrected the college because the Pensole Lewis Faculty of Enterprise & Design and made historical past. It’s now the one HBCU devoted solely to design, innovation, and product creation; and it’s Black-owned, Black-led, and Black excellence from the bottom up.
At PLC, college students get hands-on, head-down, hustle-hard expertise with main manufacturers.
“We recreate what product groups seem like in precise corporations,” Edwards defined. “Designers, engineers, advertising and marketing groups — every thing. So by the point our college students end, they’ve already been working like professionals.”
And the proof is within the pipeline: Over 1,000 college students from his applications have already damaged into the trade.
Now he’s turning his focus to serving to much more younger Black dreamers get their foot within the door, irrespective of their zip code.
With eHBCU, college students who could by no means step foot on a standard campus can now construct actual credentials, join with mentors, and collaborate with classmates from throughout the nation — all whereas staying deeply related to HBCU tradition.
“We’re simply getting began,” mentioned Edwards. “That is about creating generational entry. I would like each scholar — from the dorm room to the eating room desk — to know they’ve the instruments to form their future.”
From Jordans to joint levels, Dr. D’Wayne Edwards is proving that when Black minds lead, the long run follows.
Class is formally in session.
