Here in Chattanooga, Pleasant Garden Cemetery is one of the oldest historically Black cemeteries in Tennessee.
It is the final resting place for leading members of Chattanooga’s African-American community after Reconstruction and during Jim Crow segregation - as well as tragic figures, including Ed Johnson and at least one of the Scottsboro Boys.
Fifty years ago, the cemetery was abandoned.
In recent years, volunteers have worked on restoring the site - including a cleanup set for this Saturday.
Throughout October, stories of individuals who are buried there will come to life in “Beneath These Stones: Voices From Pleasant Garden Cemetery” - a series of original poetic monologues scripted by oral historian Peggy Douglas of Southern Exposure.
I spoke with Peggy - and Donivan Brown, founder and executive director of the Horton-Keller Center for Traumatic Healing.
