Hazel M. Johnson Memorial Stamp Act

I 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 673 To provide for the issuance of a commemorative postage stamp in honor of Hazel M. Johnson, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FEBRUARY 1, 2021 Mr. RUSH introduced the following bill; 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 M. Johnson, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Hazel M. Johnson Me- 4 morial Stamp Act’’. 5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 6 The Congress finds the following: 7 (1) Hazel Johnson fought for environmental 8 justice in Chicago beginning in the 1970s and con- 9 tinuing through the rest of her life. 10 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:13 Feb 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H673.IH H673 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 673 IH (2) When Johnson discovered that the South 1 Side of Chicago had the highest cancer rate of any 2 area in Chicago, she was inspired to investigate the 3 cancer rates, foul odors, and number of children 4 with respiratory illnesses in her own neighborhood, 5 the community of Altgeld Gardens on the South 6 Side of Chicago. 7 (3) Johnson discovered her community, Altgeld 8 Gardens, which is a public housing project, was built 9 on a landfill surrounded by toxicity, which polluted 10 the air, water, and land. 11 (4) Additionally, the Altgeld Gardens homes 12 had asbestos and elevated lead levels. 13 (5) This discovery inspired Johnson to create 14 the People for Community Recovery, an organization 15 which fights for a safer environment. 16 (6) Johnson and the People for Community Re- 17 covery fought to educate and empower the residents 18 of Altgeld Gardens, including providing workshops 19 and trainings, conducting health surveys, rallying 20 residents to protest contamination, and working with 21 youth in the community. 22 (7) The People for Community Recovery put 23 pressure on the Chicago Housing Authority to re- 24 move asbestos from Altgeld Gardens. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:13 Feb 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H673.IH H673 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 673 IH (8) Johnson’s fight for clean water led to the 1 installation of water and sewer lines by city health 2 officials in the far South Side neighborhood of Mary- 3 land Manor, where the existing well water was con- 4 taminated with cyanide and other toxins. 5 (9) Johnson used her vigilance and activism to 6 give low-income minority communities a voice and a 7 stake in the environmental justice fight by bringing 8 the conversation to personal, immediate, and urgent 9 concerns which directly impact communities inhab- 10 ited by people of color. 11 (10) Johnson also strove to hold both busi- 12 nesses and the government responsible for how their 13 actions impact the environment. 14 (11) Johnson was given the 1992 President’s 15 Environment and Conservation Challenge Award in 16 recognition of her environmental justice work. 17 (12) Notably, Johnson was instrumental in 18 pressuring President Bill Clinton to sign the Envi- 19 ronmental Justice Executive Order, which holds the 20 Federal Government accountable for urban commu- 21 nities exposed to pollution. 22 (13) In 2004, sociologist David Naguib Pellow 23 credited Johnson and the People for Community Re- 24 covery with putting ‘‘the South Side of Chicago on 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:13 Feb 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H673.IH H673 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 673 IH the radar screen for activists and policy makers 1 around the United States who are concerned about 2 environmental racism’’. 3 (14) On January 12, 2011, the Illinois General 4 Assembly, by way of a House Joint Resolution, des- 5 ignated ‘‘the portion of 130th Street from the 6 Bishop Ford Freeway to State Street in Chicago as 7 the ‘Hazel Johnson EJ Way’ ’’. 8 (15) Johnson was a visionary, who was able to 9 foresee the impacts of failing to address environ- 10 mental and social justice conditions. 11 (16) Johnson’s work earned her the title of 12 ‘‘mother of the environmental justice movement’’. 13 SEC. 3. HAZEL M. JOHNSON COMMEMORATIVE POSTAGE 14 STAMP. 15 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Postmaster General shall 16 issue a commemorative postage stamp in honor of Hazel 17 M. Johnson. 18 (b) DENOMINATION; DESIGNS.—The commemorative 19 postage stamp issued under this Act shall be issued in the 20 denomination used for first class mail up to one ounce in 21 weight and shall bear such designs as the Postmaster Gen- 22 eral shall determine. 23 (c) ISSUANCE PERIOD.—The commemorative postage 24 stamp issued under this Act shall be placed on sale as 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:13 Feb 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H673.IH H673 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 673 IH soon as practicable after the date of the enactment of this 1 Act and shall be sold for such period thereafter as the 2 Postmaster General shall determine. 3 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:13 Feb 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H673.IH H673 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS