Hazel Johnson fought for environmental justice in Chicago.

Living in a Far South Side ‘toxic doughnut,’ Hazel Johnson fought for environmental justice

A cloud of hydrochloric acid vapor that escaped from a tank farm at the southeast corner of Lake Calumet hangs like a heavy fog over the Altgeld Gardens housing project on April 26, 1974. Squads of police rushed into the area to urge residents to flee the possibly toxic fumes. Many dashed for their cars, like this group shown here, heading first to Carver High School and then to Fenger High School as fumes seeped into Carver. Some residents were overcome before they could be evacuated and were given oxygen by the fire department ambulance crew. (Don Casper/Chicago Tribune)

Hazel Johnson fought for environmental justice from her home in Altgeld Gardens, a public housing complex in the middle of a “toxic doughnut” on Chicago’s Far South Side.