Quote by Abiodun Oyewole: “We write to change the world, to make people think.”

Abiodun states that their writing has a powerful purpose: to provoke thought and inspire societal change. He believes that by making people critically examine their world, art can be a catalyst for meaningful transformation.

From their inception in the late 1960s, The Last Poets saw their art as inseparable from activism, using their powerful spoken word to ignite consciousness. This statement reflects their enduring mission to provoke critical thought and inspire social transformation through creative expression.

American poet and founding member of The Last Poets, the spoken-word group widely considered a predecessor of hip-hop. Formed in New York in 1968, The Last Poets combined African drumming and political verse to become the voice of Black radical consciousness in the late 1960s.