ReClaim South Ambassador Project: A Beloved Community
Program Area: Ambassador Project, ReClaim
Topic: Community Engagement, Community Gardens, Youth
Year: 2014
Neighborhood: Knoxville
Parent Project: ReClaim South
About the Project
When Ambassador Cheryl Ruffin is not wearing her ReClaim hat, she is the pastor of Saint Paul African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in Knoxville. Adjacent to her church is a small, underutilized community garden in a lot next to the parking lot. Inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Pastor Cheryl wants to recreate this garden to be integrated into her idea of the Hilltop as a “Beloved Community”, a concept coined by the Reverend King.
In addition to the raised garden beds – benches, walkways, plants and birdhouses will be placed around the space. It will be a place of cooperation, reconciliation and tranquility for her congregation and the surrounding neighborhood, regardless of which one subscribes to.
“I want to see something that is pretty. Something that gives people hope. Something that people can look at and understand that they mean something to this city. That’s why I’m involved in this.”
— Cheryl Ruffin, ReClaim South Ambassador, Knoxville
400 Orchard Place, Pittsburgh, PA 15210, USA
