How do African students who arrive as refugees in the United States navigate a culture and society shaped by the history of slavery? How is their perspective different from that of their American-born peers and do they experience the 'double consciousness' that Dubois described in "The Souls of Black Folk?" This essay examines the experiences of 11th and 12th grade refugee students from Africa, the Middle East and Asia in one classroom in the USA. It explores how cultural knowledge and experiences informed their study of English and what the insights they shared in the classroom revealed about their ability to critique not only the literature but American society and culture.