'The Black Stars' documentary to showcase Portland nonprofit's transformative expedition
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A Portland-based organization that empowers young Black men embarked on a transformative trip to Africa over the summer, and soon, their journey will be the focus of a documentary premiering at the Hollywood Theatre.
Local nonprofit Word Is Bond champions Black male youth by educating them on leadership, community service, mental health and much more. Executive Director Lakayana Drury founded the organization in 2017 to fill a gap that he observed as he grew up in Wisconsin.
“[I faced] a lot of similar experiences that these young men face: lack of Black teachers, lack of Black role models, just disconnect the education system as a whole and really lack of an understanding of my identity as a Black person and what I was capable of,” Drury said.
This past July, the founder expanded on his mission of empowering members to their fullest potential by organizing an inaugural two-week trip to Ghana dubbed the “Black Star Homecoming Expedition.”
He likens the trip to the moon landing because it was what the organization had been building toward ever since its inception.
Drury invited Tamaryah “Twixx” Williams, the Rose City’s videography prodigy, to capture the ins and outs of the journey — but what was intended to be a brief recap of the trip soon developed into a coming-of-age story for Word Is Bond ambassadors, as well as the director behind the camera.
“It turned into a documentary to kind of show how these ambassadors unravel more of the culture and get more connected to their identities and just learn about a world they've never been to,” Williams said.
As the director spoke to KOIN 6, he admitted there were still some final edits to be made before presenting his work before a big audience. However, there were some particular scenes he was sure would resonate with audiences.
In those hard-hitting scenes, the men of Word Is Bond visit historical slave sites in and around Cape Coast. According to Williams, those moments are the most pivotal because many Americans haven’t grasped what enslaved African people had to endure for several months as they awaited transportation to another continent.
In addition to the footage that Williams shot abroad, the documentary will feature exclusive interviews in which Word Is Bond ambassadors reflect on their experiences on the trip.
The organization serves Black men between the ages of 15 and 20, and the director himself was 21 years old while in Ghana. He said the opportunity to film and edit this project — a first-ever documentary for the creative who typically shoots music videos — was impactful for him as well.
“You are experiencing and seeing someone else's experience,” he said. “This is not a music video. This is not a commercial. This is a documentary — like telling real life stories.”
“The Black Stars” will premiere at the Hollywood Theatre on Thursday, Jan. 11 at 6:30 p.m. KOIN 6's Ken Boddie will host the cultural event, which will also feature live performances.
Tickets are on sale now.