,i  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #ecdc  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,december #f1        
#bjai,mr4 ,rush introduced the following
 bill2 which was referred to the        
,committee on ,oversight and ,reform  ,a
 ,,bill  ,to provide for the issuance of
 a commemorative postage stamp in honor 
of ,hazel ,m4 ,johnson1 and for other   
purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,hazel ,m4 ,johnson 
,memorial ,stamp ,act4  #b4 ,findings   
,the ,congress finds the following3     
7#a7 ,hazel ,johnson fought for         
environmental justice in ,chicago       
beginning in the #aigjs and continuing  
through the rest of her life4  7#b7     
,when ,johnson discovered that the      
,south ,side of ,chicago had the highest
 cancer rate of any area in ,chicago1   
she was inspired to investigate the     
cancer rates1 foul odors1 and number of 
children with respiratory illnesses in  
her own neighborhood1 the community of  
,altgeld ,gardens on the ,south ,side of

 ,chicago4  7#c7 ,johnson discovered her
 community1 ,altgeld ,gardens1 which is 
a public housing project1 was built on a
 landfill surrounded by toxicity1 which 
polluted the air1 water1 and land4  7#d7
 ,additionally1 the ,altgeld ,gardens   
homes had asbestos and elevated lead    
levels4  7#e7 ,this discovery inspired  
,johnson to create the ,people for      
,community ,recovery1 an organization   
which fights for a safer environment4   
7#f7 ,johnson and the ,people for       
,community ,recovery fought to educate  
and empower the residents of ,altgeld   
,gardens1 including providing workshops 
and trainings1 conducting health        
surveys1 rallying residents to protest  
contamination1 and working with youth in
 the community4  7#g7 ,the ,people for  
,community ,recovery put pressure on the
 ,chicago ,housing ,authority to remove 
asbestos from ,altgeld ,gardens4  7#h7  
,johnson's fight for clean water led to 
the installation of water and sewer     
lines by city health officials in the   

far ,south ,side neighborhood of        
,maryland ,manor1 where the existing    
well water was contaminated with cyanide
 and other toxins4  7#i7 ,johnson used  
her vigilance and activism to give      
low-income minority communities a voice 
and a stake in the environmental justice
 fight by bringing the conversation to  
personal1 immediate1 and urgent concerns
 which directly impact communities      
inhabited by people of color4  7#aj7    
,johnson also strove to hold both       
businesses and the government           
responsible for how their actions impact
 the environment4  7#aa7 ,johnson was   
given the #aiib ,president's            
,environment and ,conservation          
,challenge ,award in recognition of her 
environmental justice work4  7#ab7      
,notably1 ,johnson was instrumental in  
pressuring ,president ,bill ,clinton to 
sign the ,environmental ,justice        
,executive ,order1 which holds the      
,federal ,government accountable for    
urban communities exposed to pollution4 

7#ac7 ,in #bjjd1 sociologist ,david     
,naguib ,pellow credited ,johnson and   
the ,people for ,community ,recovery    
with putting the ,south ,side of        
,chicago on the radar screen for        
activists and policy makers around the  
,united ,states who are concerned about 
environmental racism4  7#ad7 ,on        
,january #ab1 #bjaa1 the ,illinois      
,general ,assembly1 by way of a ,house  
,joint ,resolution1 designated the      
portion of #acjth ,street from the      
,bishop ,ford ,freeway to ,state ,street
 in ,chicago as the ,hazel ,johnson ,,ej
 ,way4  7#ae7 ,johnson was a visionary1 
who was able to foresee the impacts of  
failing to address environmental and    
social justice conditions4  7#af7       
,johnson's work earned her the title of 
mother of the environmental justice     
movement4  #c4 ,hazel ,m4 ,johnson      
commemorative postage stamp  7a7 ,in    
general ,the ,postmaster ,general shall 
issue a commemorative postage stamp in  
honor of ,hazel ,m4 ,johnson4  7b7      

,denomination2 designs ,the             
commemorative postage stamp issued under
 this ,act shall be issued in the       
denomination used for first class mail  
up to one ounce in weight and shall bear
 such designs as the ,postmaster        
,general shall determine4  7c7 ,issuance
 period ,the commemorative postage stamp
 issued under this ,act shall be placed 
on sale as soon as practicable after the
 date of the enactment of this ,act and 
shall be sold for such period thereafter
 as the ,postmaster ,general shall      
determine4