Black History Month is over — a month in which some say we are to acknowledge the many achievements and accolades acquired by African Americans throughout history. During this time, Americans are surrounded by echoes of the past, and these words of affirmation and ethnic pride are to whisper the secrets of a better future for black Americans today.

But a series of events occurring this February has me questioning the direction that we as a society — a “black” society — are taking. It has me wondering if we are ready to move forward — especially those of “us” on the Left.

Hardly a way to start a month-long observance of blackness, news surfaced surrounding the Jussie Smollett controversy in Chicago. But it only took a few days to unveil the true face of his claims — a race-baiting hoax attempt perpetrated by two Nigerian brothers. As rapper Cardi B so bluntly put it, Smollett “F-ed Up” Black History Month. I tend to agree with her sentiments, calling into question whether this is (perhaps coincidentally) the time to stage a fake hate crime when so much evil is already being afflicted on black Americans, especially those in Democrat-run towns.

While everyone was reeling over Smollett’s fictional crisis, 30 people were shot — in the very same city — in only a short three-hour timeframe. Eleven of the victims were teenagers. One was just 11 years old. Still, Democrats and leftists who run that town have done little if anything to resolve the out-of-control crime plaguing black families. The Windy City has become our nation’s epicenter of the black-on-black crime for decades. How many more Februarys need to pass before our black Chicagoans can partake in the prosperity promised by their forefathers?

Meanwhile, Democrats voted against legislation to prevent newborns and full-term babies from being aborted, knowing good and well that the black population is disproportionately affected by this. All of this occurring in the same month that is said to celebrate being black. Can we look in the mirror and ask ourselves if more aborted black babies is a celebration of blackness?

These incidents are vivid examples of what happens when a Democrat drives a bus full of people forward while teaching them to look back through the rear window. Democrats refuse to look ahead at the lives and potential right in front of them. They only want black people to see the death and destruction behind them and not the cliff straight ahead.

As I reflect on Black History Month, I ask whether this what black history is all about — a diversion to keep black people focusing on the past while letting the present and future slip from their grasp.

Fortunately, the month rounded out with beacons of hope — not surprisingly from the Right. President Donald Trump greeted hundreds of black attendees during a Black History Month reception at the White House. During the event, he announced that black unemployment is down to its lowest ever and that he plans to create more opportunities for people of all races.

These gestures from the Right are why so many black people are leaving the Democrat plantation. They see with clearer eyes who truly has their best interests at heart.

As Candace Owens so brilliantly stated, a virus has spread throughout black America. That virus is victimhood, as people are infected by an ideology that only programs them to embrace entitlement while the world crumbles around them. The antidote? A hearty dose of conservative American values and the true knowledge about those who have historically had our best interests at heart — the Right.

With February behind us, concerned black Americans across the political spectrum are facing a fork in the road. And it’s up to us to choose the best direction for ourselves and decide who truly is in our corner — not just during one month or holiday, but every single day, all year round.