Our Story
Unapologetically Black
Word is Bond, born in Portland and led by Black visionaries since 2017, is a nonprofit incubator dedicated to cultivating leadership among young Black men aged 15-19. Through the transformative power of Black boy joy and storytelling, we design dynamic programs that answer a fundamental question: What if young Black men were empowered to their fullest potential? Embracing the richness of Black leadership history and the transformative impact of narrative ownership, Word is Bond stands resolute in its mission to uplift and serve young Black men.
Programs and Impact
Word is Bond offers transformative programming through holistic development and community engagement.
Our initiatives include: nurturing leadership, promoting cultural identity, and empowering young Black men - offering resources and support to inspire the next generation of Black leaders.
Word is Bond is a national model for the leadership development of young Black men.
Increasing representation of Black men in mentorship programs
Word is Bond provides mentorship through structured programs like Rising Leaders and Level Up, ensuring young Black men have role models and guides in their personal and professional growth.
According to available research, only a small percentage of mentors are Black men, with estimates placing it around 6% of the total mentor population, particularly when considering youth mentoring programs in community agencies.
Closing the Achievement Gap
In Oregon, Black youth makeup only 1.8% of the state’s general population yet account for 15.5% of Measure 11 indictments. Young Black men face huge disparities in our state’s education system. The biggest achievement gap in Portland Public Schools, about 50 percentage points, was between white students and African-American students. By focusing on the unique needs of Black male youth, WIB gives these young men a platform to share their experiences while gaining the leadership skills and personal development necessary to realize their full potential and effect positive change in their communities.
Eventually, I would like to change this to a national statistic since our goal is to be a national leader for the development of young Black men.
Owning our Narratives and Stories
Word is Bond provides mentorship through structured programs like Rising Leaders and Level Up, ensuring young Black men have role models and guides in their personal and professional growth.
Staff
Commissioner Lakayana Yotoma Drury (He/Him/His) is a s social entrepreneur, educator, community advocate, writer, poet, and filmmaker. He is the founder and executive director of Word is Bond, a nonprofit leadership incubator for young Black men based out of Portland, OR which he formed in 2017. At his core, Lakayana is a storyteller who harnesses the power of community engagement and various mediums of art, including poetry, music, drawing and painting, photography, and film to uplift hidden stories and inspire others to collective action.
Lakayana was raised in Madison, Wisconsin by his hardworking mother and is the eldest of three children. He experienced adversity at an early age, as a young Black man navigating the education system and the absence strong male role models. He overcame those challenges and graduated from the University of Wisconsin Stout and went on to pursue a career as an elementary and high school teacher.
Lakayana is of Sudanese and Irish ancestry. His lived experience drives his passion for culturally-grounded education, mentorship, community development and economic investment, and reimagining community safety.
Lakayana’s leadership commitments include serving on the Local Public Safety Coordinating Committee (LPSCC) Executive Committee, the Center for Black Student Excellence (CBSE) Guiding Coalition with Portland Public Schools. In 2023, Lakayana was appointed to the Oregon Commission on Black Affairs for a three-year term.
Lakayana was named Portland Business Journal’s Class of 2021, Forty Under 40, was recognized as Executives of the Year in 2022, received the 2023 Community Leader of the Year at the 38th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Tribute by the World Arts Foundation, and produced his first film, The Black Stars, in 2024
Lakayana is a visionary leader who believes in building a world based on compassion for all people, where every individual has the resources they need to thrive. He believes in dismantling systems of oppression and replacing them with ecosystems that nurture the innate empathy of humanity.
Email: lakayana@mywordisbond.org
Board of Directors
Andrew Campbell (He/Him/His) is a Portland local who was raised in the now gentrified areas of North and Northeast Portland. He attended Boise Eliot Elementary, Harriet Tubman Middle School, and Benson Polytechnic High School. After high school, Andrew moved to the American South to pursue college, earning his Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology and Sociology from Tuskegee University, Master’s of Science in Sports Psychology from the University of Tennessee. He has been blessed to have had the opportunity to explore the Black experience outside of Portland and continues to apply what he learned for the betterment of his hometown and community.
Andrew’s professional background is in physiological training, social sciences, and psychological sciences with ten years of experience. He uses a holistic approach in promoting mental and physical health. He currently works for Multnomah County as a Mentor & Development Specialist. Andrew also serves on the Black Male Achievement Steering Committee and is involved with local transportation and neighborhood committees. He is passionate about creating healthier environments in Black/Brown communities to influence positive human behavior and culture cohesion. In turn, he hopes individuals can feel safe and relaxed to think and feel more positively and peacefully. During his free time, he enjoys outdoor activities, sports, exercising, and hanging with family and friends.
Keith Wilson (he/him/his) Keith has been president & CEO of TITAN Freight Systems, a regional transportation company with operations throughout Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and British Columbia since 2004.
He was the fourth of five children, raised in his family’s two-bedroom house in the poorest part of Portland. His neighborhood was wedged between factories, landfills, toxic waste sites, and freeways. He graduated from Roosevelt High School and attended Portland Community College. He transferred to Oregon State University, where he paid his tuition by taking out loans and working various jobs earning his Bachelor of Science in Business. Keith began his career at NBC in New York City, subsequently living and working in London and New Zealand, eventually coming back to Portland. Working full-time while taking night classes, he later obtained his Master of Business Administration at the University of Portland.
As an advisory board member for the US High Speed Rail Association (Washington, DC) and a core team member of Shelter Now (Portland), Wilson applies his innovation-driven approach to helping these organizations’ goals to transform society and lives.
An experienced advocate for the environment, his community, and homelessness, Keith is excited to be a board member of Word is Bond.
He and his wife, Katherine, and children, Lilianna and Noah, live in beautiful Northeast Portland.
Simona Taylor (She/Her/Hers) As a Wisconsin native, Simona attended UIU and obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Human Services and later went on to pursue her Master of Business Administration, Organization Leadership from GCU. Among her large number of siblings, she is the first to graduate college and assured her parents not to be the last. As a change agent, she is accustomed to challenging the status quo and driving paradigm shifts that encourage policies and practices that promote diversity and inclusion.
Simona has been fortunate to collect many experiences in her professional career that have challenged, stretched, and strengthened her fabric as a career professional, and continues to strive for more. She is passionate about changing the trajectory of black and brown youths through insightful dialogue around financial literacy, trade, and skill development.
“Learning is enjoyable and learning effectively pays dividends that aids in the wealth of knowledge.”
While her experience conveys a series of transferable skills, achieved goals, strong execution and willingness to learn, grow and remain adaptable as a live long learner, she is first a woman of color that wants to see other people of color succeed and break barriers.
Simona Taylor (She/Her/Hers) As a Wisconsin native, Simona attended UIU and obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Human Services and later went on to pursue her Master of Business Administration, Organization Leadership from GCU. Among her large number of siblings, she is the first to graduate college and assured her parents not to be the last. As a change agent, she is accustomed to challenging the status quo and driving paradigm shifts that encourage policies and practices that promote diversity and inclusion.
Simona has been fortunate to collect many experiences in her professional career that have challenged, stretched, and strengthened her fabric as a career professional, and continues to strive for more. She is passionate about changing the trajectory of black and brown youths through insightful dialogue around financial literacy, trade, and skill development.
“Learning is enjoyable and learning effectively pays dividends that aids in the wealth of knowledge.”
While her experience conveys a series of transferable skills, achieved goals, strong execution and willingness to learn, grow and remain adaptable as a live long learner, she is first a woman of color that wants to see other people of color succeed and break barriers.
Andrew Campbell (He/Him/His) is a Portland local who was raised in the now gentrified areas of North and Northeast Portland. He attended Boise Eliot Elementary, Harriet Tubman Middle School, and Benson Polytechnic High School. After high school, Andrew moved to the American South to pursue college, earning his Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology and Sociology from Tuskegee University, Master’s of Science in Sports Psychology from the University of Tennessee. He has been blessed to have had the opportunity to explore the Black experience outside of Portland and continues to apply what he learned for the betterment of his hometown and community.
Andrew’s professional background is in physiological training, social sciences, and psychological sciences with ten years of experience. He uses a holistic approach in promoting mental and physical health. He currently works for Multnomah County as a Mentor & Development Specialist. Andrew also serves on the Black Male Achievement Steering Committee and is involved with local transportation and neighborhood committees. He is passionate about creating healthier environments in Black/Brown communities to influence positive human behavior and culture cohesion. In turn, he hopes individuals can feel safe and relaxed to think and feel more positively and peacefully. During his free time, he enjoys outdoor activities, sports, exercising, and hanging with family and friends.
Keith Wilson (he/him/his) Keith has been president & CEO of TITAN Freight Systems, a regional transportation company with operations throughout Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and British Columbia since 2004.
He was the fourth of five children, raised in his family’s two-bedroom house in the poorest part of Portland. His neighborhood was wedged between factories, landfills, toxic waste sites, and freeways. He graduated from Roosevelt High School and attended Portland Community College. He transferred to Oregon State University, where he paid his tuition by taking out loans and working various jobs earning his Bachelor of Science in Business. Keith began his career at NBC in New York City, subsequently living and working in London and New Zealand, eventually coming back to Portland. Working full-time while taking night classes, he later obtained his Master of Business Administration at the University of Portland.
As an advisory board member for the US High Speed Rail Association (Washington, DC) and a core team member of Shelter Now (Portland), Wilson applies his innovation-driven approach to helping these organizations’ goals to transform society and lives.
An experienced advocate for the environment, his community, and homelessness, Keith is excited to be a board member of Word is Bond.
He and his wife, Katherine, and children, Lilianna and Noah, live in beautiful Northeast Portland.
Simona Taylor (She/Her/Hers) As a Wisconsin native, Simona attended UIU and obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Human Services and later went on to pursue her Master of Business Administration, Organization Leadership from GCU. Among her large number of siblings, she is the first to graduate college and assured her parents not to be the last. As a change agent, she is accustomed to challenging the status quo and driving paradigm shifts that encourage policies and practices that promote diversity and inclusion.
Simona has been fortunate to collect many experiences in her professional career that have challenged, stretched, and strengthened her fabric as a career professional, and continues to strive for more. She is passionate about changing the trajectory of black and brown youths through insightful dialogue around financial literacy, trade, and skill development.
“Learning is enjoyable and learning effectively pays dividends that aids in the wealth of knowledge.”
While her experience conveys a series of transferable skills, achieved goals, strong execution and willingness to learn, grow and remain adaptable as a live long learner, she is first a woman of color that wants to see other people of color succeed and break barriers.
Simona Taylor (She/Her/Hers) As a Wisconsin native, Simona attended UIU and obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Human Services and later went on to pursue her Master of Business Administration, Organization Leadership from GCU. Among her large number of siblings, she is the first to graduate college and assured her parents not to be the last. As a change agent, she is accustomed to challenging the status quo and driving paradigm shifts that encourage policies and practices that promote diversity and inclusion.
Simona has been fortunate to collect many experiences in her professional career that have challenged, stretched, and strengthened her fabric as a career professional, and continues to strive for more. She is passionate about changing the trajectory of black and brown youths through insightful dialogue around financial literacy, trade, and skill development.
“Learning is enjoyable and learning effectively pays dividends that aids in the wealth of knowledge.”
While her experience conveys a series of transferable skills, achieved goals, strong execution and willingness to learn, grow and remain adaptable as a live long learner, she is first a woman of color that wants to see other people of color succeed and break barriers.
Commissioner Lakayana Yotoma Drury (He/Him/His) is a s social entrepreneur, educator, community advocate, writer, poet, and filmmaker. He is the founder and executive director of Word is Bond, a nonprofit leadership incubator for young Black men based out of Portland, OR which he formed in 2017. At his core, Lakayana is a storyteller who harnesses the power of community engagement and various mediums of art, including poetry, music, drawing and painting, photography, and film to uplift hidden stories and inspire others to collective action.
Lakayana was raised in Madison, Wisconsin by his hardworking mother and is the eldest of three children. He experienced adversity at an early age, as a young Black man navigating the education system and the absence strong male role models. He overcame those challenges and graduated from the University of Wisconsin Stout and went on to pursue a career as an elementary and high school teacher.
Lakayana is of Sudanese and Irish ancestry. His lived experience drives his passion for culturally-grounded education, mentorship, community development and economic investment, and reimagining community safety.
Lakayana’s leadership commitments include serving on the Local Public Safety Coordinating Committee (LPSCC) Executive Committee, the Center for Black Student Excellence (CBSE) Guiding Coalition with Portland Public Schools. In 2023, Lakayana was appointed to the Oregon Commission on Black Affairs for a three-year term.
Lakayana was named Portland Business Journal’s Class of 2021, Forty Under 40, was recognized as Executives of the Year in 2022, received the 2023 Community Leader of the Year at the 38th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Tribute by the World Arts Foundation, and produced his first film, The Black Stars, in 2024
Lakayana is a visionary leader who believes in building a world based on compassion for all people, where every individual has the resources they need to thrive. He believes in dismantling systems of oppression and replacing them with ecosystems that nurture the innate empathy of humanity.
Email: lakayana@mywordisbond.org
Andrew Campbell (He/Him/His) is a Portland local who was raised in the now gentrified areas of North and Northeast Portland. He attended Boise Eliot Elementary, Harriet Tubman Middle School, and Benson Polytechnic High School. After high school, Andrew moved to the American South to pursue college, earning his Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology and Sociology from Tuskegee University, Master’s of Science in Sports Psychology from the University of Tennessee. He has been blessed to have had the opportunity to explore the Black experience outside of Portland and continues to apply what he learned for the betterment of his hometown and community.
Andrew’s professional background is in physiological training, social sciences, and psychological sciences with ten years of experience. He uses a holistic approach in promoting mental and physical health. He currently works for Multnomah County as a Mentor & Development Specialist. Andrew also serves on the Black Male Achievement Steering Committee and is involved with local transportation and neighborhood committees. He is passionate about creating healthier environments in Black/Brown communities to influence positive human behavior and culture cohesion. In turn, he hopes individuals can feel safe and relaxed to think and feel more positively and peacefully. During his free time, he enjoys outdoor activities, sports, exercising, and hanging with family and friends.
Keith Wilson (he/him/his) Keith has been president & CEO of TITAN Freight Systems, a regional transportation company with operations throughout Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and British Columbia since 2004.
He was the fourth of five children, raised in his family’s two-bedroom house in the poorest part of Portland. His neighborhood was wedged between factories, landfills, toxic waste sites, and freeways. He graduated from Roosevelt High School and attended Portland Community College. He transferred to Oregon State University, where he paid his tuition by taking out loans and working various jobs earning his Bachelor of Science in Business. Keith began his career at NBC in New York City, subsequently living and working in London and New Zealand, eventually coming back to Portland. Working full-time while taking night classes, he later obtained his Master of Business Administration at the University of Portland.
As an advisory board member for the US High Speed Rail Association (Washington, DC) and a core team member of Shelter Now (Portland), Wilson applies his innovation-driven approach to helping these organizations’ goals to transform society and lives.
An experienced advocate for the environment, his community, and homelessness, Keith is excited to be a board member of Word is Bond.
He and his wife, Katherine, and children, Lilianna and Noah, live in beautiful Northeast Portland.
Simona Taylor (She/Her/Hers) As a Wisconsin native, Simona attended UIU and obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Human Services and later went on to pursue her Master of Business Administration, Organization Leadership from GCU. Among her large number of siblings, she is the first to graduate college and assured her parents not to be the last. As a change agent, she is accustomed to challenging the status quo and driving paradigm shifts that encourage policies and practices that promote diversity and inclusion.
Simona has been fortunate to collect many experiences in her professional career that have challenged, stretched, and strengthened her fabric as a career professional, and continues to strive for more. She is passionate about changing the trajectory of black and brown youths through insightful dialogue around financial literacy, trade, and skill development.
“Learning is enjoyable and learning effectively pays dividends that aids in the wealth of knowledge.”
While her experience conveys a series of transferable skills, achieved goals, strong execution and willingness to learn, grow and remain adaptable as a live long learner, she is first a woman of color that wants to see other people of color succeed and break barriers.
