Documentary showcases 8 young Portlanders in Ghana
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Most African-Americans never get to see the place of their ancestors. But a group of Portland-area high school students got the chance in 2023 and their experience was documented bya young Black filmmaker.
It not only changed their perspectives on Black history, it changed their lives.
Eight young men of high school and college age went to Ghana over the summer to experience the culture and traditions of the ancestors. The ‘Black Stars Homecoming Expedition‘ documentary takes us on the journey with them. Both the trip and the documentary are an initiative from Word Is Bond.
The Portland-based non-profit is an incubator for young Black men to become the leaders of tomorrow by broadening their life and professional exposures.
“I’ve always been very passionate about connecting African-American and African identities together,” said Word Is Bond Executive Director Lakayana Drury. “So when we started ‘Word Is Bond’ back in 2017, it was always in the back of my mind that somehow, some way, going to Africa had to be part of the experience in our 3 year leadership program.”
The “Black Stars Documentary” by 21-year-old filmmaker Twixx Williams takes us on the trip with the young ambassadors, from the food and culture of Ghana to meeting with Ghana’s education minister and students in the schools. There was also the sobering experience of a so-called “slave castle” on Ghana’s Gold Coast where future slaves were held before being loaded onto ships for the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
“This felt very disgusting and dark, just to see that they went through that, and that was the worst part, and I never really learned about that,” Williams said. “You only are really informed about what happened when we get to America. You really don’t know much about what we had to endure, what our ancestors had to endure. So just being able to be in the same place our ancestors were, it was a very bittersweet moment.”
Bitter because the horrors of slavery are still evident, sweet because the African experience gave these young men a connection to their history and heritage.
“It was definitely a life-changing experience, being able to see honestly, to see a group of people who look like me, I mean, everywhere you looked,” said Ronald Thornton, one of the 8 ambassadors.
The documentary premiered to a sold-out audience at Portland’s historic Hollywood Theatre. The hope is to have many showings, to expand the horizons of all who see it.
“We’re going to be showing it in detention facilities where there are incarcerated youth. We’re going to be showing it at high schools, at middle schools and at universities across Oregon, and entering it in film festivals,” Drury said, “eventually releasing it on YouTube so that educators can use it in their classrooms.”
“It’s a piece that we’re going to be able to follow forever,” Williams said. “The story really keeps going.”
“The Black Stars Homecoming Expedition” will screen at a number of venues to raise money for the next Word Is Bond trip to Ghana with a new set of ambassadors. Word Is Bond hopes its program can serve as a model for uplifting young Black men around the country.
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