Hazel M. Johnson, “Mother of Environmental Justice”
Hazel M. Johnson was a passionate environmental justice advocate from the 1970s until her death in 2011. She fought for clean air and water on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois by empowering, educating, and organizing her community in Altgeld Gardens. Watching television, she learned the South Side had the highest rate of cancer in Chicago and in her own neighborhood, saw firsthand how many suffered from cancer and from respiratory disease, especially children. The root of the problem was that Altgeld Gardens was built on a landfill. Toxins polluted the surrounding air, water, and land, and asbestos and lead levels threatened residents’ health.
Johnson founded the People for Community Recovery and led the charge protesting the Chicago Housing Authority and demanding clean drinking water and the removal of asbestos from apartments. The organization worked to educate the people of Altgeld Gardens on toxic waste and other environmental issues, provide workshops and training on skills, such as testing for lead poisoning, and organized community health surveys to gather empirical data on the disproportionate environmental pollution impacts on low-income groups and communities of color.
She also fought for environmental justice on a national scale, joining forces with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, protesting environmental injustices, holding businesses and the government accountable for their actions, and urging President Bill Clinton to sign the Environmental Justice Executive Order.
Hazel M. Johnson left a legacy and impact beyond her own lifetime, mentoring future President Barack Obama, laying the groundwork for the People for Community Recovery, which is still active today, and elevating environmental justice issues to a national stage.
Honoring Her Legacy
Representative Bobby Rush (D-IL) introduced three bills to posthumously honor Hazel M. Johnson’s legacy and work in the environmental justice movement. These acts would put her picture on a postage stamp, award her the Congressional Medal of Honor, and make April Hazel M. Johnson Environmental Justice Month. Recognizing Johnson would not only shed light on the work of Black and Brown organizers and activists in the space but amplify the environmental movement as a whole.
by Natasha Matta
References
Golden, Jamie N. “Hazel M. Johnson Fought For Clean Air And Water On The Southeast Side. A Congressman Is Doubling Down On Efforts To Honor Her.” (2021). Block Club Chicago. Retrieved from https://blockclubchicago.org/2021/04/29/hazel-m-johnson-fought-for-clean-air-and-water-on-the-southeast-side-a-congressman-is-doubling-down-on-efforts-to-honor-her/
“Hazel M. Johnson, ‘Mother of the Environmental Justice Movement’.” (2021). Chicago Public Library. Retrieved from https://www.chipublib.org/blogs/post/hazel-m-johnson-mother-of-the-environmental-justice-movement/
Mahoney, Adam. “Congress honors environmental justice pioneer Hazel M. Johnson.” (2021). Grist. Retrieved from https://grist.org/equity/hazel-johnson-environmental-justice-month-chicago/
Reyna, Lacey. “Altgeld Gardens.” (2014). Roosevelt University. Retrieved from https://futureofschaumburg.wordpress.com/environmental-justice/altgeld-gardens-chicago/
Hutcherson, Lori L. “BHM: Good Black News Celebrates Hazel M. Johnson, the “Mother of Environmental Justice.” (2014). Good Black News. Retrieved from https://goodblacknews.org/2021/02/20/bhm-good-black-news-celebrates-hazel-m-johnson-the-mother-of-environmental-justice/
