So what if it ain’t cool.
Stay in school!
So what if you say no to gangs.
It ain’t no thang.
You produce your own act.
What anyone else thinks has nothing to do with that.
There will always be nay-sayers
And player-haters.
Telling you that you ain’t ghetto enough,
You ain’t black enough,
You ain’t, you ain’t.
That will always be the complaint.
No matter what you do, it won’t be right.
Just continue to keep your goals in sight.
Being black
Doesn’t’ mean you have to stay back.
Nobody can tell you who you ought to be.
Live like you are free.
Stand tall.
That’s all.
Do your best.
Forget about the rest.
Accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative.
That applies to people too.
You don’t need people who hinder you.
Don’t let anyone steal your dignity.
Don’t allow them that opportunity.
Don’t be afraid of originality
And individuality
Life offers an infinite amount of possibilities.
You have to be willing to strive above the ordinary.
Explore.
Open doors.
You are in the driver’s seat.
When it comes to learning, never surrender to defeat.
Be the student your teacher loves to teach.
Don’t be the one she can’t reach.
To not make use of your mind is a disgrace.
For it is well said, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.”
So what if it ain’t cool.
Stay in school!
copyright Patricia Newman-Harris
I am concerned about a trend among young people to downplay
the importance of learning. At an early
age, they are simply occupying space in our nation’s schools. This really bothers me, considering there are
places in the world where children would die for the opportunities we take for
granted. I pray that our children will
begin to see the importance in seizing, with a vengeance, the opportunities
that are afforded them.