(AIr1 Closer Look) - Word Is Bond founder Lakayana Drury will tell you he was ‘born between two worlds.' He is the product of a black father born in South Sudan and a white mother from Portage, Wisconsin, from a traditional Catholic family. His father was absent and Drury struggled as young black man to find his place in the world.
When he graduated from East High School in Madison, Wisconsin with a meager 2.3 GPA, he says he could see no success in his future.
"The absence of my father was very devastating to my psyche and it’s devastating to the psyches of all youth. But particularly to young black men who are already coming into a world that isn’t ready to embrace them. Then, when the father figure is not there, we are lacking the role models and the path forward.”
Eventually he moved to Portland where over the next 10 years he sought to made a difference for other children like himself, eventually launching Word Is Bond, a non-profit organization with the purpose of inspiring and building young Black leaders.
In the summer of 2017, Drury was asked to lead a program involving a partnership between young Black men and the Portland Police Department. “I was adamant that if we are going to do this, it was going to be the young Black men speaking most of the time," he says.
"It was designed to be an education piece for those involved, because If our young men take 10 steps to come in a room, and the police officers take 10 steps to come in a room, that’s not the same 10 steps. Those young men will have to go past their own fears, their own feedback from their community." he explains. "Young Black men don’t get any brownie points for going to talk to the police. That’s not part of our culture. In fact, it’s discouraged and for a lot of good reason. There is extreme mistrust.”
But through those tough conversations something transformative happened. "Word is Bond" was born.
The flagship program "Rising Leaders" is a three-year summer intensive in which participants are equipped and learn skills, select internships and participate in expeditions. Word Is Bond Ambassadors are taught rules of etiquette. They are fitted for a tailored suit, so they’re not just equipped to speak, but they look the part as well. They are also taught philanthropy and the importance of giving back.
During the first year, participants also engage with local law enforcement, where they have five dialogue opportunities with them. They meet with city leaders. They learn more about themselves and how to tell stories and it culminates with a community showcase, where they share what they’ve learned with the community. Drury adds they also earn money guiding tour groups small and large. These “In My Shoes” interactive walking tours give the young men a chance to tell stories about their neighborhoods and share what they would like to see improved in the future.
In the second year, students participate in internships around the city where they get to put their first-year skills into practice. “They get to intern with amazing companies, such as Titan Freight Systems, Sekai Creative Development, we have a civic engagement internship with Sen. Ron Wyden’s office, as well as Hood to Coast, which is one of the largest marathons in the world. You name it,” says Drury.
In the summer of 2023 Word is Bond put what Drury says is the crown Jewel on the Rising Leaders summer program, with The Black Star Homecoming Expedition, a two-week leadership expedition to Ghana, West Africa.
"By the time they come through our program, they have bootcamp leadership one-on-one skills. They’ve had a paid professional internship. They have a passport and international experience. They’re coming out of high school with amazing skills. A jetpack strapped to their back, and are ready to shoot to the success of whatever it is that they want to accomplish."
The loudest voice Drury heard giving him hope for success was his own hard-working single mother.
"She was in the schools everyday battling with the teachers for my education and my right to learn," says Drury. His mom even enrolled him in the Big Brothers, Big Sisters program in Dane County. Her only request was that he be paired with a Black mentor. But they told her, ‘We don’t have any black mentors in our program, and the wait time to get one would be 2-years.’ However, 2-months’ later, they found someone. He coached Drury's basketball teams. He took him to the movies, and even helped him get his first job mowing the lawn of a Black World War II and Korean War veteran. His name was Kevin Torrance. And his picture still hangs on Drury’s bulletin board today.
"Through those experiences I learned about my Black Identity and learned about what it means to be a man. The culmination of all of those experiences is what eventually led me,10-years after receiving my high school diploma with a 2.3 GPA, to found an organization that would empower young black men and give them that path forward.”
