The Peace Poets performed both original rap and spoken word poems at the event “Peace Poets – Spoken Word on Migrant Justice” in the Murphy Auditorium on Nov. 8 during Iona’s Week of the Peacemaker.

These New York City-based friends have been using spoken word poetry, rap and movement music to bring awareness to social and political epidemics in over 40 countries, according to the Peace Poets’ website. Three of the five Peace Poets performed at the event – Frank Antonio López (aka “Frankie 4”), Enmanuel Candelario (aka “The Last Emcee”) and Luke Nephew (aka “Lu Aya”).

“We’ve been around together since we were kids, like 15 years old, just speaking on things that we see in our hood – our stories, our struggles, our lives,” Candelario said.

Growing up, Candelario, Nephew and López – along with Abraham Velázquez, Jr. (aka “A-B-E”) and Frantz Jerome (aka “Ram3”) – participated in a poetry and spoken word collective called the Lyrical Circle through The Brotherhood-Sister Sol in Harlem, a “nationally renown [sic] and award winning youth development organization,” according to the Peace Poets’ website. In the Lyrical Circle, all participants were able to explore their experiences through the lens of pan-African and pan-Latinx history.

The Lyrical Circle inspired the artists to transform the truth about their society into works of art.

“Growing up in the Bronx and the Heights, what we saw [and] what we lived … shaped our sense of self, and hip hop was a powerful way for us to express that,” Abraham said in a video on the Peace Poets’ website.

On the Murphy Auditorium stage, each poet channeled his emotions – such as rage, pain, love and joy – through their poems. López, Candelario and Nephew each had their own piece that covered topics like racism, manhood, the brutality of our national history, immigration and the importance of diversity. When they closed the show, they invited the audience to help them sing a statement that is sung at their meetings and rallies: “This is for our families who are locked inside. Together we will abolish ICE [US Immigration and Customs Enforcement].”

When they are not performing, the men take the wisdom they obtained from BSS into their local communities. At the Union Settlement Association in Harlem, they lead poetry workshops for low-income and undocumented youth. In addition, at the Children of Promise organization in Brooklyn, they welcome children of incarcerated parents to imagine, write and live a life that breaks the cycle of an unjust society.

Additionally, they have organized youth conferences and workshops with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi, according to the Peace Poets’ website. In 2011 they released a spoken word album titled “Word is Bond,” and in the summer of 2014, the Peace Poets released their debut rap album “State of the Art.” They have also published four books.

They have performed and recorded music alongside civil rights activists and musical artists Peter Yarrow, Keith Secola, Nakho Bear and M1 of Dead Prez, according to their website. Furthermore, they have also performed with musical artists and groups such as Sweet Honey in the Rock, Aloe Blacc and Maxwell. They were an opening act for the rapper Common as well.

Visit thepeacepoets.com to learn more about the Peace Poets’ mission, music and performances.