The Late Hazel Johnson was one of the first African American to bring Enviornmental Justice to the forefront in the city of Chicago. She was a known activitist in Altgeld Gardens and she worked tirelessly to bring national and international attention to the urban environmental pollution problems on the southside of Chicago. She was very instrumental in helping hospitals and clinics to install hazardous material containers for proper disposal. Ms. Johnson was a crusader that inspires communities, universities, organizations and governmental agencies to create, adopt and implement environmental policies and procedures to protect our health!
Ms. Johnson was known as the Mother of the Environmental Justice Movement.
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The Final Interview of PCR Founder Hazel M Johnson
PCR founder Hazel M Johnson is featured in the book Eco Amazons: 20
Women Who Are Transforming the World. To purchase a copy, click the
"Buy Now" link below. While completing your purchase, type "PCR" in the
section titled "Special Instructions to Seller". A portion of the proceeds will
be donated to PCR.
Future_Home_of_People_for_Community_Recovery.pdf
PCR's mission is to enhance the quality of life of residents living in communities affected by pollution. PCR educates and advocates policy and programs in an effort to coordinate local residents on issues of the environment, health, housing, neighborhood safety, and economic equity.
2001
-Organized a Community forum with public officials to discuss tenant rights issues, police brutality, urban progress concerns and accountability of public officials to its constituents.
-Collaborated with Northwestern University to produce a video documentary on the lawsuit residents filed against the Chicago Housing Authority regarding the PCBs and PAHs contamination in Altgeld Gardens. The film was entitled The Poison Promise of Altgeld Gardens.
From Left: USEPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, PCR Executive Director Cheryl Johnson, and PCR Founder/ President Hazel Johnson
1992
-Hazel Johnson was one of 13 African Americans who attended the United Nation Conference on the Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
-Helped form Citizens United to Reclaim the Environment (CURE) which represented eight communities on the southeast side of Chicago.
-The recipient of the Presidents Environmental and Conservation Challenge Award presented by the former President George Bush, Sr., PCR was the only African American grassroots community based organization in the country to receive the nations highest environmental award.
1993
- Hazel Johnson, Chief Executive of PCR, was the 1993 recipient of the Tampax Women of Action Environmental Award.
1994
-PCR sponsored a Midwest Great Lakes Environmental Justice Summit
-Completed 722 surveys in Altgeld on lead poisoning potential risks in homes.
-Completed 200 community health surveys documenting diseases and illnesses that maybe environmentally related.
1997
-PCR was honored as one of the countrys top 100 environmental organizations by former President Bill Clinton.
-Implemented the tenant-to-tenant lead education entitled Resident Education About Lead Project. The goal of this project was to educate the residents about potential environmental lead exposures in their homes and how to prevent their children from being lead poisoned.
-Organized 1800 residents to attend a community meeting on the sodium trioxide spill in the community caused by the PMC Specialty Group. The residents expressed serious concerns about the health implications that were caused by the spill.
1998
- Hosted a meeting with the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Region V to prove that the soil contamination of PAHs are excessively high which can cause skin cancer and skin rash to individuals who come in contact with the soil. PCR teamed up with Northwestern Universitys Civil Engineering Department and the Chicago Legal Clinic to present the analysis to the US EPA.
-Trained twenty workers in Altgeld Gardens on environmental lead dust reduction in the renovation of apartments.
1999
-PCR worked extensively to monitor the cleanup process of a storage shed in Altgeld Gardens that was contaminated with PCBs oil.
Environmental Training, Education and Awareness is a partnership with the Coalition of Black Trade Unionist under the Community Action and Response to Environmental Toxic (CARET) Program to train residents in various environmental aspects to empower them become more knowledgable and marketable in the environmental field.
Environmental Careers Exploration for Youth is a program designed to engage youth in the awareness of environmental careers. The purpose of this program is to teach youth about green industry technology and services, indoor/outdoor air quality and environmental hazards (such as lead, asbestos, carbon monoxide, and radon gas), mold sampling, and general health effects of exposure including identification, treatment and abatement methods.
Activism through Visual Artistry
Altgeld Garden's Environmental Justice Photovoice Club is a program designed to teach youth about environmental justice issues in their community. Youth are encouraged to use photography to share their personal stories, expose societal and environmental injustices, and to garner support for issues that affect their community. PCR's Photovoice Club also has a partnership with Le Mete, a non profit in Paris, France. Using online media and social networking sites, youth from each organization share their experiences with one another.
PCR's Economic Development Program is designed to teach residents how to prepare resumes, proper interview etiquette, and how to conduct skills assessments to help identify what jobs fits their skills. We also provide clients with referrals to jobs with local environmental and general construction contractors and provide individuals interested in starting their own construction company with referrals to the Small Contractor Network..
In helping clients receive fair and equal treatment in housing issues, PCR:
People for Community Recovery (PCR) was founded in June 1979 and was incorporated on October 25, 1982. It mission, to press for serious and long overdue repair work in Altgeld Gardens, a Chicago Housing Authority development located on the South Side of Chicago.
PCR soon turned its attention to the more serious problems of urban environmental pollution when it was discovered that the Southeast side of Chicago had the highest incidence of cancer of any area in the city.
PCR's founder and CEO, Hazel Johnson, made numerous calls around the country to educate herself regarding the cancer rate in her own community. Later she connected with city and state health departments to investigate reports on environmental problems surrounding Altgeld Gardens as well as information regarding industrial pollution.
Ms. Johnson dedicated years learning about urban environmental issues and networking with other environmental groups. After conducting her research, she learned that many waste disposal companies surrounded Altgeld Gardens as well as manufacturing companies that produced and emitted thousands of pounds of pollutants into the air, water and land. PCR found that due to the heavy concentration of industry, low income residential communities on the Southeast side of Chicago were being exposed to substantial amounts of toxic chemicals that could be responsible for negative health impacts.
With these facts in mind, PCR along with other residents from Altgeld Gardens began to address the environmental problems within their community. For the past two decades, PCR has been applying pressure on "corporate polluters" and government officials to make them aware of their negligence. It is PCR's goal to make both corporations and the government accountable to the communities in which they operate.
Concurrently, PCR has continually been educating itself and the community about urban environmental issues and their relationship to industry. Through extensive research and partnerships, PCR has found a significant correlation among various industrial processes-- the byproducts of which pollute the air, land and water--and the health status of urban minority communities. With perseverance, tenacity and dedication, PCR continues to be a positive force not only within the Altgeld Gardens community, but within the Environmental Justice movement at large.
People for Community Recovery
13116 S. Ellis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60827
Executive Director: Cheryl Johnson
Phone: (773) 840-4618
Fax: (773) 840-4414
cheryl.johnson_peopleforcommunityrecovery.org
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EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY!
HAZEL M. JOHNSON, PCR FOUNDER NEEDS YOUR HELP!
In January 2010 Hazel M Johnson, the mother of the environmental justice movement fell ill and has spent months in several hospitals and long term care facilities. However due to the poor treatment she was receiving and sub-standard health insurance, her family decided to discharge her home. Due the severity of Mrs. Johnson's health and limited financial resources to give her quality home care, Hazel had to go back to a long term care facility for the 24-hour care she needs.
Mrs. Johnson has improved the quality of life for millions of Americans through her advocacy in environmental justice. She has directly improved the quality of life for thousands of residents on the Southeast Side of Chicago. Her work has also served as the impetus for legislation that has improved the quality of life of people across the country. RIght now, Hazel needs your help more than ever. Her life literally depends on it! Environmental health was one of Mrs. Johnson's biggest concerns and now she is experiencing how hard it is for poor people to receive quality health care in long-term care facilities. Ms. Johnson's health condiition has been compromised, her right hip has been broken and she has fallen out off the beds twice at two different long-term care facilities.
Mother Johnson is currently back at home, she has been placed in hospice care and this care is being given at her home. Well wishers can contact us at her home at 773.468.3866 and her home address is 641A East 131st St.. Chicago, IL 60827
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