Reformed residents with criminal backgrounds to be honored for giving back to the community

Wayne Byers uses a leaf blower to clear parts of Pleasant Garden Cemetery on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn. The historically black cemetery, where two Chattanoogans involved in the Scottsboro Boys case and Walnut Street Bridge lynching victim Ed Johnson are buried, is in a state of disrepair, but volunteers are working to restore the site. Wayne Byers uses a leaf blower to clear parts of Pleasant Garden Cemetery on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn. The historically black cemetery, where two Chattanoogans involved in the Scottsboro Boys case and Walnut Street Bridge lynching victim Ed Johnson are buried, is in a state of disrepair, but volunteers are working to restore the site.

By Yolanda Putman December 13, 2015 3 min read

A headstone is obscured by dirt and leaves in Pleasant Garden Cemetery on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn. The historically black cemetery, where two Chattanoogans involved in the Scottsboro Boys case and Walnut Street Bridge lynching victim Ed Johnson are buried, is in a state of disrepair, but volunteers are working to restore the site.

If you go

What: Kwanzaa CelebrationWhen: 3 p.m. Dec. 26Where: Eastdale Village Community United Methodist Church 1403 Tunnel Blvd.

Men with criminal backgrounds came to church seeking ways to prove their redemption and help their community.

“We are reformed,” said Wayne Byers. “We want to take what we’ve learned and the resources we’ve gained and teach other people.”

The Rev. Charlotte Williams, pastor of Eastdale Village Community United Methodist Church, suggested the men clean up Pleasant Gardens Cemetery. They started in November and plan to continue until the historically black burial ground is restored.

The group, called One Nation, will be among several people and organizations Williams will honor at her 15th annual Kwanzaa celebration Dec. 26.