You're bashing a strawman. I don't doubt your sincerity (as I was of a similar perspective when subject to this), but it is still ultimately a strawman. Because what "Black author" actually means is picking books written from the perspective of the Black community. Which to a parent or student not familiar with that culture, of course feels foreign and unnecessary. It also doesn't help that analysis of such books inevitably focuses on race relations (tedious social science), because that's where it crops up. But if education should aim to encompass the entirety of American culture, of which the Black community was and is still a significant part of, then this type of thing is probably the best we can do despite it seeming trite and forced. Quick: name a historical Black scientist who didn't work with peanuts.