Remote patrol

"I'll Make Me a World: A Century of African-American Arts," a six-hour series from 8 to 10 p.m. today through Wednesday on Channel 19, commences Black History Month in grand style. It introduces dozens of African-Americans who contributed to the lively arts in the last 100 years. Some are familiar: Louis Armstrong, Langston Hughes, Paul Robeson but many are pioneering figures rarely mentioned today: filmmakers Oscar Micheaux and George Johnson, entertainers Bert Williams and Bessie Smith and artists Jacob Lawrence and Augusta Savage. A who's who of latter-day urban artists and intellectuals are interviewed, many of whom owe huge debts to these greats. "I'll Make Me a World" is from Blackside Inc., creators of the "Eyes on the Prize" series (and whose guiding light, Henry Hampton, passed away late last year).