The One Black Author and Journalist Who Won't Be Mentioned During Black History Month

Let the record show that this is Black History Month. Once upon a time, I actually took a semester course in "African-American History" and it didn't amount to much. I'm over it. My big problem with Black History Month is that it helps perpetuate racism. Instead of this country being a melting pot, we focus on one race of people for a month. What about the history and contributions of Asian-Americans, or Mexican-Americans or Indians?

Author Keith B. Richburg

Sure, I understand that W.E. Dubois was the founder of the NAACP, and Martin Luther King Jr. was a great leader in the Civil Rights Movment and that George Washington Carver was the inventor of peanut butter, but after that, you're left with the likes of Spike Lee or Jay-Z. Why can't we just have history. Period. Most black and white students don't even know about our Founding Fathers and the greatness of leaders like George Washington or John Adams who fought courageously so that we could become a nation--but they sure do know all about the likes of Colin Powell, Maya Angelou and Jesse Jackson.

Refugees from Chad

During this special month, students will be "brainwashed" and reminded of the "great" accomplishments of the first black (or near-black) president of the U.S. I'm talking about the ONE who was going to bring "hope and change" and be the great "uniter," bringing us all together so that there would NO longer be a racial divide in America. How's that working out? If anything, Obama has exacerbated the race problem and actually brought about a greater division among the races.

But in honor of Black History Month, I offer a daring book, "Out of America: A Black Man Confronts Africa" by black author and newspaper journalist, Keith Richburg. Richburg was given the opportunity to live in Africa for 3 yrs. Leaving America for his post in Africa, he writes that he felt like he was going home, to the birthplace of his ancestors, the "Motherland." 

Rwandan genocie

Now here's the irony: Many who've read Out of America denounce Richburg as an out-and-out "Uncle Tom".  That these black liberals are so shocked and angry that Richburg, a black man, would DARE criticize Africa seems to prove his  point. Black leaders, intellectuals, state department leftists, and even Bono,  in their effort to be politically-correct, they've pussyfooted around Africa,  ignoring abuses of 'human rights', ignoring the deadly tribalism and murder, so  as to keep the image of  "Africa - the glorious Motherland" alive. We  may, of course, criticize Europe ("the hegemonic western world") but  dare we ever criticize atrocities in Zaire?! How dare we! So it is ironic  that the author's point - that we must be realistic instead of  utopion when  dealing with Africa - is played into perfectly by those so willing to call  Richburg an 'Uncle Tom" or a 'sellout'.

So if you really want to observe Black History Month, get  this book. It's an eye-opener written by a courageous black man who ought to be  celebrated by the black community. Instead, this messenger has been demonized  because of his message.