The month of February is a matter of the Heart. I’m not referring to Valentine’s Day, for the moment, which symbolizes a worthy sentiment to those we care about, but rather a matter of the heart. Literally. Do you have a healthy heart, and are you following habits that promote it?

There is always something special when you have a celebratory month — Black History Month, as an example — and it has a direct connection to where you live, what you do, or someone that you knew. And to me, that special connection is Burlington County, which some have referred to as the cradle of emancipation. It earned this reputation, in part, because it offers more historical connections to Black History Month than any other New Jersey county, with 16 sites in nine municipalities, many that focus on the Underground Railroad that had such prominence in Burlington County before the Civil War.

I’d like to offer two local examples that are fascinating because of the contributions they made to African American history.

The signs of the homeless have become so common and prevalent that I worry we don’t see them. Whether it’s a disheveled person standing on the street corner with a sign or someone wearing tattered clothing pushing a shopping cart uphill with belongings they deem important, we no longer see the human tragedy. Sometimes, we just avert our gaze. Other times, they look like us, yet they are homeless.