A lecture by Johnnetta B. Cole, a distinguished leader in higher education, will launch a month of events in February in celebration of Black History Month.

Opening ceremonies will be held February 3 at 5 p.m. in the Student Union Ballroom, with a Martin Luther King Jr. birthday celebration and a lecture by Cole, Presidential Distinguished Professor of Anthropology, Women's Studies and African American Studies at Emory University.

Driven by a passion for equality and self-enrichment through education and community service, Cole became the first African American woman to serve as president of Spelman College, a position she held for 10 years.

In 1992, she served as a member of President-elect Bill Clinton's transition team as cluster coordinator for education, labor and the arts and humanities.

Other highlights of the University's month-long celebration of black history include a lecture by Jeffrey Ogbar on February 22 at 4 p.m., in the community room of the African American Cultural Center. Ogbar, an assistant professor of history at UConn, will discuss "Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemmings - Unraveling the Controversy."

On February 26, "A Cabaret in Ethiopia" featuring the New Nile Orchestra will take place in the Student Union Ballroom at 8 p.m. The orchestra blends influences from funk, jazz, hip-hop and Afro-Cuban music. Performances are centered on Kiflu Kidane, a singer/dancer from Ethiopia who has performed internationally for more than 20 years.

Events include:

• February 3 - Opening Ceremonies and lecture. Johnnetta B. Cole, Presidential Distinguished Professor of Anthropology , Women's Studies and African American Studies at Emory University.
  
  
• February 4 - Keb' Mo' Blues Cabaret. Blues and folk-rock ballads by 1996 Grammy Award-winner, Keb' Mo'. 8 p.m., Jorgensen Auditorium.
  
  
• February 5 - Film and Video. The Life of Bob Marley. This two-hour program of previously unreleased films and videos includes concert performances, rehearsals, interviews and home movies. Co-sponsored by WHUS Radio Station. 7 p.m., von der Mehden Recital Hall.
  
  
• February 9 - Babatunde Olatunji. Master drummer performs music and stories of Africa. 8 p.m., Jorgensen Auditorium.
  
  
• February 11- Lecture. "Parallel Time: Growing Up in Black and White" by Brent Staples, journalist, author and member of the New York Times editorial board. 4 p.m., von der Mehden Recital Hall. Sponsored by the Institute for African American Studies and African American Cultural Center.
  
  
• February 11 - Workshop. "Mastery Strategies for Time Management and Personal Productivity," for students. 5 p.m., African American Cultural Center.
  
  
• February 15 - Discussion. "The Nappy Hair Controversy." Nappy Hair, a children's book, became the subject of controversy when some parents objected to a white teacher reading it to children in her class. 7 p.m., African American Cultural Center Community Room.
  
  
• February 16 - Faculty and Staff Luncheon. Guest speaker, Geno Auriemma, women's basketball coach. Noon, African American Cultural Center Community Room.
  
  
• February 16 - Lecture. "Early America Revisited: The Pre-Columbian African Presence in the Americas" by Ivan Van Sertima, professor of African Studies at Rutgers University and author of They Came Before Columbus: The African Presence in Ancient America. 5 p.m. Student Union Ballroom. Co-sponsored by the African American Studies Institute.
  
  
• February 20 - Mr. & Ms. Black UConn Pageant. Showcasing the talents of UConn's black students. 7 p.m., Student Union Ballroom.
  
  
• February 22 - Lecture. Jeffrey Ogbar, "Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemmings - Unraveling the Controversy." 4 p.m., African American Cultural Center.
  
  
• February 23 - Lecture. Tim Wise, social justice activist, founder of the Association for White Anti-Racist Education (AWARE), an organization seeking to educate white Americans about racism. 8 p.m., Student Union Ballroom.
  
  
• February 25 -Poetry Reading. Lucy Hurston. 5 p.m., African American Cultural Center Community Room.
  
  
• February 26 - A Cabaret in Ethiopia. Featuring the New Nile Orchestra and Kiflu Kidane. 8 p.m., Student Union Ballroom.
  
  
• February 27 - Gospel Music Festival. Afternoon workshops begin at 1:30 p.m., African American Cultural Center. Evening concert features Kurt Carr and the Kurt Carr Singers, and the UConn Voices of Freedom Gospel Choir. 8 p.m., Jorgensen Auditorium.
  
  

Sherry Fisher