Roadies gear up for Ford Detroit Football Classic

Category: Chronicle Archives Published on Tuesday, 29 August 2006 20:00 Written by Michigan Chronicle

Miles, 23, is a native of Milwaukee, and attends Alabama State University. Patton, 23, is  a native of Dallas and attends Southern University and A&M College.

           
This year the roadies will be traveling to colleges around the country in a new 2007 Expedition customized by hip-hop and car aficionado Funkmaster Flex. (See the Detroit Football Classic Tab). 

           
During a recent interview, the roadies offered some points about what drove them to become Ford Roadies and their passion for Black colleges.

CHRONICLE: Why did you attend an HBCU?

Miles: Legacy. The roots of my family are in Birmingham, Ala., where the older generations attended  HBCUs.  I am the only person in my family from the current generation to attend college.

I loved the fact that I would be surrounded by so much history, like being three blocks away from Martin Luther King Jr.’s home.

The marching band. There is nothing like a SWAC football game.

Patton Tradition in family. My mother was a cheerleader for Southern University, Six aunts attended Southern University and one younger brother  is also a junior at Southern University.

Been around it since I was 5 years old, really got the itch when attending the Black college tour in the spring of 2001.

I like the fact that there were 10,000 other young Black people with the same objectives and goals.

There were no other options beyond an HBCU, it’s in me.

CHRONICLE: Why is it  important to encourage others to attend HBCUs?

Miles:  It’s up to my generation to keep things going.

To bring attention to the fact we have lost our focus on education.

I want to express the benefits of a HBCU to young men who just don’t know about the opportunities.

Patton:  Being in the environment that is uplifting. Its one thing to hear about it, but it’s another to live it.

I learned things that were not in textbooks

There are endless opportunities available to students from companies specifically looking for minorities.