In 1969, Chicago mother of seven lost her husband to lung cancer and saw her kids suffer from respiratory issues. She used family's heath crisis to expose toxic neighbourhood, became the mother of environmental justice movement

She lost three of her siblings before she turned one and was orphaned when she was all of 12. No stranger to suffering, Hazel Johnson witnessed environmental health hazards affect her near and dear ones not just during childhood, but also when she and her husband, John, shifted to Altgeld Gardens Homes, a South Side, Chicago housing project managed by the Chicago Housing Authority, in 1962. From cancer to brain damage to respiratory disease, she saw many of her community members and family get affected by the polluted water and air of Chicago.

Altgeld Gardens was initially developed to provide housing for American war veterans. However, the neighbourhood was surrounded by landfills, industrial facilities and sewage-treatment plants, exposing residents to serious environmental hazards. For more than five decades, George Pullman’s railroad company had dumped waste in nearby landfills, affecting over 10,000 people living in the community.

After her husband died of lung cancer in 1969 and her seven children experienced recurring skin and respiratory problems, Johnson began investigating the possible links between pollution and the health issues affecting local residents. She recorded cases of chronic illnesses to understand how contaminated air and water were impacting the neighbourhood.


Her investigation revealed that Altgeld Gardens lay at the heart of a 14-square-mile zone of pollution stretching from Chicago’s Southeast Side to Northwest Indiana. She coined the term 'The Toxic Doughnut' to describe the area. Residents faced hazardous industrial emissions, exposure to asbestos used in building construction and contaminated drinking water. The neighbourhood was also reported to have the highest cancer rate in Chicago.

According to Chicago Public Library, Hazen decided to take matters into her own hands and founded the People for Community Recovery in 1979 to help the community advocate for clean air and water. PCR educated the residents on toxic waste and how to recognise symptoms of lead poisoning. One of their earliest successes came when they persuaded Chicago officials to test the drinking water supplied to Maryland Manor. The investigation confirmed that the water contained toxic substances, including cyanide. Following the discovery in 1984, authorities introduced water supply and sewer lines to the neighbourhood, marking a significant step towards improving local living conditions.

According to the PCR website, during the next few decades, the PCR secured several milestones – establishing water and sewage services, asbestos and PCB removal, launching a health clinic, etc. In the 1980s, Johnson also mentored many graduates to form the next generation of the Environmental Justice Movement. She once trained a young Barack Obama, then an up-and-coming community organiser, to recruit residents to remove asbestos from Altgeld Gardens.

In 1991, Johnson attended the first National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C., where she was recognised for her contributions and honoured as the Mother of the Environmental Justice Movement. At the summit, she collaborated with fellow activists and community leaders from across the United States to develop the 17 Principles of Environmental Justice, a framework aimed at addressing environmental inequalities and protecting communities disproportionately affected by pollution.

According to the Chicago Public Library, Hazel employed some strategies to get themaximum results. She educated herself through research and consulting professionals and subject matter experts. While she never backed away from confronting people who were becoming obstacles to environmental justice, she was also not hesitant to work cooperatively with others to carry out a training programme, file a lawsuit, etc. She also strengthened and supported many organisations that shared PCR’s goals and ethos.

Johnson passed away in 2011 from congestive heart failure. She was 75. In 2015, the Illinois General Assembly named 130th Street from the Bishop Ford Freeway to State Street “Hazel Johnson EJ Way” to honour her legacy.