For Bishop Kenneth Pearman, February isn't limited to Black history alone; it is an ever-changing narrative of personal experiences that affect the past, present and future of the community as a whole.
And he isn't alone: Leaders in the Black community across the Poconos stress that understanding that history is integral to knowing where you're going.
An important part of that history is steeped in faith, and within northeastern Pennsylvania, Little Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Stroudsburg was one of the landmarks that established a religious and social center for a diverse community when it was otherwise ostracized from society.
Source: 'A better future for your children': Black culture in Poconos was built on faith, progress