ENTERTAINMENT : Paying Tribute to Black Culture : A number of special events have been scheduled by area universities and colleges to celebrate the achievements of African-Americans.

February is Black History Month, an annual observance of the achievements and celebration of the culture of black Americans.

The idea dates to 1926, when Negro History Week was first proposed by black historian Carter G. Woodson. The celebration became known as Black History Week in the early 1970s and, in 1976, Black History Month was established. It is still sponsored by the Assn. for the Study of Afro-American Life and History, an organization that Woodson founded in 1915.

The association distributes Black History Month study kits to help schools and other organizations celebrate the observance. Several San Fernando Valley area colleges and universities have activities planned for the observance.

CalArts, 24700 McBean Parkway, Valencia, has perhaps the most ambitious program, with more than a dozen activities, including readings, concerts, lectures and other events. All are free and open to the public.

Black History Month started on the campus earlier this week, with an African music and dance program, and a poetry reading by Watts poets Kamau Daa’ood, John Priestly and Ojenke Mapenzi. Remaining events include:

* “Black Pride and Pluralism: Is This a Contradiction?” a lecture by Troy Duster, professor of sociology at UC Berkeley, at noon Wednesday in the Main Gallery. At 8 that evening, reed player Roscoe Mitchell, CalArts jazz artist in residence, will perform in the Roy O. Disney Music Hall.

* George C. Wolfe’s play “The Colored Museum” will be performed at 8 p.m. Feb. 12 and 2 and 8 p.m. Feb. 13 in the Coffeehouse Theatre.

* “Life in a Day of Black L. A.,” a slide presentation on prominent black photographers’ perspectives of Los Angeles, will be presented at noon Feb. 16 in the F-100 Theater in the Main Building by guest photographer and lecturer Roland Charles.

* “Zebra,” an art exhibit and video on multicultural African-Americans, will be presented Feb. 16 to 19 in the school’s Main Gallery.

* The play “The Meeting” will be performed at noon and 8 p.m. Feb. 19 in the Coffeehouse Theatre.

* Films by black women filmmakers will be screened at 8 p.m. Feb. 21 and Feb. 22 in the Tatum Lounge in the Main Building.

* A dance concert featuring the work of choreographers Boris James and Arthur Sabb, CalArts dance and theater students, will be performed at 8 p.m. Feb. 26 in Theatre II in the Main Building.

* The observance will end with an “Evening of Soul Celebration” at 9 p.m. Feb. 27 in the Main Gallery.

For information, call (805) 255-1050, Ext. 7892.

Antelope Valley College, 3041 W. Ave. K, Lancaster, will mark the observance with an address by civil rights activist Rosa Parks at 4 p.m. Monday in Room 334 in the music building. She will also be available to sign copies of her book, “Rosa Parks: My Story.” Her appearance is sponsored by the college’s Black Student Union.

The campus will also have an African-American film series, presented Thursdays and Fridays throughout February in Room 102 of the Administration Building. The series includes “To Sir, With Love” and “In the Heat of the Night,” both starring Sidney Poitier. Screening times will vary. On Feb. 19, actress Lillian Lehman will speak. On Feb. 25, an African-American art exhibit will be presented.

Call (805) 943-3241, Ext. 278, for information about these events.

Additionally, the college’s Black Scholarship Union will present Ntozake Shange’s “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf” at 8 p.m. Feb. 12 in the Lancaster Performing Arts Center, 750 W. Lancaster Blvd. Tickets are $10, $5 senior citizens and students. Call (805) 943-3241, Ext. 260.

Cal State Northridge, 18111 Nordhoff St., will hold several events. Highlights include:

* Lula Washington, founder and artistic director of the Los Angeles Contemporary Dance Theatre, will present a free dance lecture and demonstration at 11:45 a.m. Wednesday in the Campus Theatre. The dance ensemble will perform at 8 p.m. Feb. 13 in the Campus Theatre. Advance tickets are $18 to $20 general admission, $16 to $18 faculty and staff, and $14 to $16 for students and senior citizens; tickets at the door are $2 more. Call the box office at (818) 885-3093.

* CSUN’s Main Art Gallery will present “Camera and Community: A Celebration by Guy R. Crowder,” an exhibit of work by the Los Angeles photojournalist, through March 27. Crowder’s work covers the last 30 years and provides a significant collection of images of Los Angeles’ African-American community. The show will open with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Feb. 14. Crowder will give a lecture at 10 a.m. Feb. 15. Regular gallery hours are noon to 4 p.m. Mondays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Call (818) 885-2156.

* CSUN’s Student Productions and Campus Entertainment, and the Pan-African Council will present the fifth annual hip-hop contest from noon to 2 p.m. Feb. 17 at the University Student Union. The event is free and open to the public. Call (818) 885-2129.

Mission College will mark Black History Month with a “Gospelfest” featuring music, storytelling and dramatic presentations, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday in the Campus Center, 13356 Eldridge Ave., Sylmar. The event is free and co-sponsored by the Mission College Black Student Union and the San Fernando Valley chapter of the National Council of Negro Women. Call (818) 364-7600.

Valley College, 5800 Fulton Ave., Van Nuys, will present speakers, performances and art exhibits, according to Marie Val, chairwoman of the campus’ Black History Month celebration. Most activities will be free.

A black film series will be presented at 3 p.m. each Friday during the month. Documentaries and other films dealing with the black experience, including “Boyz N the Hood,” will be presented.

* “Showtime at Monarch Hall,” featuring celebrities and local talent, will be presented Feb. 24 at the school. The event will be modeled after the well-known “Showtime at the Apollo.” Admission will be $4.

* Feb. 26 will be Cultural Dress Day, during which students will be encouraged to wear traditional African attire.

For information, call (818) 781-1200, Ext. 361.

The University of Judaism, 15600 Mulholland Drive, Bel-Air, will present the World Festival of African-American Cultures at 8:30 p.m. Feb. 13 and 2 and 7:30 p.m. Feb. 14 in Gindi Auditorium. The show will feature Herb Jeffries performing “Duke Ellington Revisited”; the Djimbe West African Dancers and Drummers performing in folk styles of Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Mali and Liberia; the Gwen Wyatt West Los Angeles College Chorale performing “Spirituals and Gospels from the Black Bible”; Lula e Afro Brasil, a Los Angeles-based music and dance group performing a variety of rhythms, including samba, reggae and Latin beats, and dancer/choreographer Adria Wilson presenting “Black and White Ballet Jazz,” a re-creation of African-American vernacular dance from ragtime to rap. Tickets are $17 and $22. Call (310) 476-9777, Ext. 203.

Pierce College, 6201 Winnetka Ave., Woodland Hills, has planned free events with the United African American Student Assn. The programs include an open forum on “Survival of the Race” at 11 a.m. Wednesday, a “Black Symposium on Success” at 10 a.m. Feb. 17, “Soul Food Day” from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 22 and a fashion show, “Soul of Fashion: the Magnificent Heritage of Africa,” at 10 a.m. Feb. 26. For information, call (818) 347-0551, Ext. 275.