Lakayana Drury will tell you, He was ‘born between two worlds. He is the product of a black father who was born in South Sudan, and of a white mother, who was born in Portage, Wisconsin, in a traditional Catholic family.
“So, when I say I’m born between two worlds, I’m born between two worlds. On my mom’s side, I was the first Black child. On my dad’s side, I’m the first American son. I’m a child of immigrants on one side, and of a white family on the other. And I’m born in between these two places. But I was raised with my mom,” says Drury.
As he grew older, he discovered his purpose in life.
(complete interview podcast further below)
"My role in this world is to serve," says Drury. 'I know that’s what it is. That’s what I want to do. I know I am wealthy; I’m wealthy in the relationships that I have, I’m wealthy in the connections that I build, I’m wealthy in the fact that every day I get to wake up and live my freedom dream, that I get to create spaces for other people to be included. That’s all I desire in this world. And I know that my path has been laid out before me in that way. That’s my higher calling.”
He credits his mom for the many sacrifices she made to raise him to be the man he is today.
“As a single mother with three children, she made sacrifices and hard work that can never be repaid. Except for me to take what she did and make the most out of my life. And then the other aspect is serving. And that’s my only goal in this world. Is to serve others and to make this world a better place. And to lead from, as best I can, a place of compassion and humanity," says Drury.
In 2017, Drury came to Portland, OR where he became a teacher with a passion to serve students the education system had given up on. Rewind 10 years, and Drury is 18-years old, graduating from East High School in Madison, Wisconsin with a 2.3 GPA. He says, “The biggest take away, I took from the 12-years of education up to that point, was that I wasn’t smart, and that I couldn’t see success in my future.”
Drury says, the most important thing a teacher can do is help a student realize that "they are capable of great things, and have talents." If students don't believe that, he says, "then the education system has failed them. And that’s really where I was in 2007.”
Over the next 10 years, Drury discovered his path, and how to utilize his talents. And that is when “Word Is Bond,” a non-profit Organization with the purpose of inspiring and building young Black Leaders was born.
In addition to graduating from high school with a 2.3 GPA, Drury was struggling with a relationship with his father, whom he had only met when he was 10-years old.
Drury says, the absence of his father was very devastating to his 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. And then when the father figure is not there, we are lacking the role models and the path forward.”
He says, the loudest voice he heard telling him he could become successful, was his mother. Drury says, "She was in the schools everyday battling with the teachers for his education and his right to learn."
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. His name was Kevin Torrance. And his picture still hangs on Drury’s bulletin board today.
“Kevin, was just arriving from Detroit, Michigan, to Madison, Wisconsin, and he became my big brother.”
And through that relationship, he learned the power of mentorship. Kevin coached his basketball teams. He took him to the movies, and even helped him get his first job mowing the lawns of a Black World War II, and Korean War veteran.
“And through those experiences I learned about my Black Identity and learned about what it means to be a man. And so, 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,” says Drury.
It would also equip them with the tools, the mentors and the love to be successful. Something Drury says, was not available to him growing up. He recalls there were programs for at risk youth who were in detention, but no programs that encouraged the potential or said, ‘We believe in you, and you are capable of greatness as a young Black man.’
And that's what Drury sought to create.“To take the traumas, the stumbles, the hurt, the confusion, and create a program that would guide our young black men, unapologetically forward, and give them a platform to tell their stories and equip them with the tools to be a part of their communities.”
In the summer of 2017, Drury was asked to lead a program involving a partnership between young Black men and the Portland Police Department. He says, “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. And it was 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 are going to have to put past their own fears, their own feedback from their community. You know, 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.
Drury says,“From this need of community dialog. From a young man trying to discover himself. From the roots of hip-hop that rose up out of a generation of black power, seeking to utilize beats and music to tell stories and proclaim our existence to the world, that’s what Word is Bond is all about.”
Word is Bond’s flagship program Rising Leaders is a three-year summer program in which participants will be equipped and learn skills, select internships, and participate in expeditions.
“It starts with them in their first year creating mantras. My mantra is ‘I’m a visionary, I dream in freedoms, I was born between two worlds, I’m the keeper of the gold watch and I reign from the thrown of abundance.’ Each of our young men comes up with their own mantras. It’s a flagship part of our programs.”
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.
In the second year they participate in internships around the city where they get to put their first-year skills into practice.
“In amazing companies, such as Titan Freight Systems, Sekai Creative Development, we have a civic engagement one with Sen. Ron Wyden’s office, Hood to Coast, which is one of the largest marathons in the world. so you name it.”
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,” says Drury.
But that’s not all of the programs. The “In My Shoes” project is an interactive walking tour, that allows the young men to lead walking tours through their communities and historic neighborhoods throughout Portland. During the tours they are able to tell stories about their neighborhoods and share what they would like to see improve in the future.
Drury adds, “And earn money by utilizing their skills and talents to guide groups of as small as 10 individuals, to as large as 50 to 60 people through their neighborhoods.”
The last program is the Spring Leadership Forum to Washington, DC., where Ambassadors will participate in a week of civic engagement activities.
Drury says, "They create a public policy proposal based on an issue they choose in Portland. They go to Washington, DC, and meet with members of the Oregon Congressional leadership on Capitol Hill, tour the Capitol, meet with leaders, pitch their policy to them, and get feedback on it. And then in the process, also tour historically black colleges from Howard University, and the list goes on!”
There are so many programs Word is Bond members have an opportunity to experience that are not only local, but national and international programs as well.
Word Is Bond Ambassadors are also taught the 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're also taught philanthropy and the importance of giving back.
"100%! We have no barriers to the programs. There’s no cost directly to the youth. And that’s something that I looked at from my own experience. Growing up, there were so many things like ‘yes, this program is free, but, and there was some caveat. ‘You must have this GPA,’ or ‘You must put this amount of money in.’ And as I saw that growing up, I saw young people with so much potential, that were kept out for reasons that shouldn’t have kept them out of these programs. So, I was adamant that when we have a program, that it’s free to our youth. And when we do ask that they support it, they do it through fundraising. And that’s a skill that can translate to so many aspects of life.”
"Word is Bond is not trying to steer participants in the direction they should go, or make them polished statues for the world to look at," says Drury.
"No, you are an individual with inherent greatness. And whether you are wearing a suit or your favorite urban brand, you deserve to be respected and heard. And we help them navigate both of those worlds and gain the skills to be successful while also eliminating every possible barrier.”
Drury is currently working on a plan to make Word Is Bond, not just a Portland City program, but one that may soon be coming to a city near you.
"But in the interim, we are going to become that national model," says Drury.
Word Is Bond produced a documentary of their first trip to Ghana, and recently released a music video to go along with it. 21-year-old filmmaker Twix Williams was commissioned by Drury to produce the 55-minute documentary along with the video called “The Black Stars.”
“Which really took our story telling to the next level. We already had published poetry books, we’d already done walking tours, now to have our own feature length documentary was an amazing feat. We premiered it at the Hollywood Theater in Portland, Oregon, Portland’s oldest and most historic theater,” Says Drury.
From the sold-out crowd at the Hollywood theater, the documentary has been shown at high schools, colleges and even presented for the first time, at an incarcerated youth facility.
Drury says, “And they weren’t sure how it was going to go. And it was an amazing experience. We didn’t even get home, and the staff were texting us saying, ‘These youth are back in their various sections of the facility, and they’re just raving about the experience they had with these youth.’ So that really shows the power of what we are trying to accomplish. By showing young black men on screen in positive ways.”
Drury also commissioned a local artist and rapper "Young and Said" to write and produce the song which was also made into a video by Twix Williams.
“And the music video has just taken off. It’s a positive anthem to black youth in Portland, and to black youth overall to say, ‘You’re a star, you are capable of great things, and you are going to shine bright. And so, it’s an educational tool. Because who says education must be boring.”
Look for a second music video to come out on May 15th, 2025. Plus, for the first time, Word Is Bond will be presenting a portrait gallery during the month of February, which is Black History Month entitled “The King in Me,” featuring portraits of the ambassadors wearing traditional Ashanti garb from every region of Ghana.
Drury says, "What I’ve been doing over the last couple of years is inter-twining art with the story-telling we are doing to empower these young men. It’s just another evolution of the brand that is Word Is Bond.
Has Word Is Bond had a positive impact on the Black youth in the City of Portland, Mr. Lakayana will tell you, Yes, I see it every day.
We invite you to listen to the complete podcast interview at the link below.