Out of Africa

As Black History Month comes to an end, it's only fitting that Oprah Winfrey and Forest Whitaker are the latest celebrities to put Africa on the map of the American consciousness.
When people see or hear about "the dark continent," it's usually in association with corruption, famine, or genocide. While those conditions do plague most -- if not all -- of its 53 countries, good news is also emerging from the region. The daytime talk show host opened a school for girls in South Africa, while the actor received an Academy Award -- the highest honor in the United States film industry -- for his performance as former Uganda dictator Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland.
These two events may not seem to have much in common, but they embody the complexity that makes Black history so fascinating to learn. Its people continue to make positive contributions to society, whether it's in politics (Ellen Johnson Sirleaf became the first elected female president of Liberia in 2005) or science (Neil deGrasse Tyson is host of Nova ScienceNow as well as director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York).
In spite of these achievements, Blacks are too often depicted in the media as caricatured stereotypes -- usually heartless criminals and loud-mouthed tramps. Education is the best tool to combat ignorance, and Black History Month is a good starting point to accomplish this goal. After all, Black history isn't just a month-long event -- it's a never-ending journey.