HJ0145 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HJ0145 LRB099 21527 GRL 47827 r

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, On Wednesday, January 12, 2011, the City of Chicago lost Hazel M. Johnson, the Mother of Environmental Justice; and

WHEREAS, Mrs. Hazel Johnson, a longtime resident of Altgeld Gardens, worked tirelessly to bring a change to the environmental conditions on the far South Side of the City; and

WHEREAS, In the 1980s, Mrs. Hazel Johnson founded a group called People for Community Recovery and put pressure on the Chicago Housing Authority to remove asbestos from Altgeld Gardens; and

WHEREAS, Mrs. Hazel Johnson's work in the community introduced her to a young organizer named Barack Obama, who worked closely with her on the asbestos abatement effort; and

WHEREAS, Mrs. Hazel Johnson was instrumental in convincing city health officials to test drinking water at Maryland Manor, a far South Side neighborhood, where they found cyanide and toxins in the water; and

WHEREAS, Mrs. Hazel Johnson joined a group of activists in urging President Bill Clinton to sign the Environmental Justice Executive Order, which holds the federal government responsible for communities exposed to pollution; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we designate the portion of 130th Street from the Bishop Ford Freeway to State Street in Chicago as the "Hazel Johnson EJ Way"; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Department of Transportation is requested to erect at suitable locations, consistent with State and federal regulations, appropriate plaques or signs giving notice of the name of the "Hazel Johnson EJ Way"; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to Cheryl Johnson, the daughter of the Mother of Environmental Justice, and the Secretary of Transportation.