Whereas the Environmental Protection Agency defines environmental justice as the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people, regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies; Whereas fair treatment suggests that communities should not endure an inordinate amount of adverse environmental consequences related to commercial, industrial, or governmental policies; Whereas the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People urges that environmental injustice, including the proliferation of climate change, has a disproportionate impact on communities of color and low-income communities in the United States; Whereas Hazel M. Johnson, widely regarded as the mother of the environmental justice movement, fought for environmental justice in Chicago beginning in the 1970s; Whereas, in 1979, Johnson founded People for Community Recovery, a grassroots organization focused on empowering communities to fight against environmental racism and injustice; Whereas Johnson lived in Altgeld Gardens, a Chicago Housing Authority public housing project that was exposed to sources of environmental hazards, including from industrial factories, sewage treatment facilities, asbestos, and lead; Whereas Johnson investigated the effects of environmental hazards at Altgeld Gardens by engaging governmental bodies and documenting chronic health issues after her husband died of lung cancer and their children contracted respiratory and skin conditions; Whereas Johnson, through her investigations, uncovered that Altgeld Gardens was built on high concentrations of hazardous waste that contributed to chronic health burdens, drinking water contamination, and air pollution; Whereas Johnson and People for Community Recovery informed residents of Altgeld Gardens of their right to protection from environmental and health hazards through workshops, trainings, rallies, and youth programs