UIC Women's Heritage Month Opening Address

"Exploring our Footprint with Cheryl Johnson –
Lessons Learned While Fighting for Environmental Justice in Chicago"

Join us for a conversation with Cheryl Johnson, Executive Director of People for Community Recovery. Ms. Johnson has worked for over 20 years to educate the Chicago community about environmental racism, pollution and urban health.

This event is free and open to the public.

March 3rd 2009- 4 to 6 pm
Student Center East (Tower) Room 302
750 South Halsted Street

Call 312-413-1025 or email owa@uic.edu for more information.

Cheryl Johnson, the Executive Director of People for Community Recovery (PCR), has worked 
for over 20 years to educate the Chicago community about environmental racism, pollution and
urban health.

PCR's mission is to enhance the quality of life for low-income 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.  Ms. Johnson will be providing the UIC Women’s Heritage Month 
Opening Address where she will speak about the work of the PCR and the legacy that this group
founded and led by women – is trying to leave for the Altgeld Gardens community.

Ms. Johnson's mother founded the People for Community Recovery in 1982, along with her
daughter and  several other Altgeld Gardens community residents who were determined to make 
difference.  The hard work of Ms. Johnson  and her mother has been told on every major 
network. She  has appeared on NPR several times and the work of the organization has been 
featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Emerge, Ebony and 
Essence. 

In addition to bringing awareness about the polluting facilities that surrounded her 
community, Ms. Johnson has worked with other marginalized communities to explore potential 
environmental hazards and to protect their families from hazardous substances. 

Thanks to the hard work of Ms. Johnson and the PCR, the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA)
agreed to a series of lead reforms: notifying nineteen public housing  developments of the 
potential of lead poisoning problems in public housing,  establishing an Environmental Unit,
and hiring PCR to implement the Resident Education About Lead (REAL) Program.