I Refuse Poem by Sicelo Sithole

I refuse to be black in mind
For I am a star, I am one of a kind
I refuse to be ghetto and stay uneducated
For I have all the tools I need to be educated
I refuse to be Black and have an image of failure
For I am just another human being, I also can make the world go round
I refuse to ignore the fact that I am intelligent and Black
For i cannot ignore such a fact, there is nothing i lack
Although I grew up with people who spent their nights in a shack
I refuse to ignore the fact that I can have a better life
I refuse not to be Black and qualified
I just refuse not to be me