Born
January 25, 1935 in New Orleans, Hazel transformed personal tragedy into
a lifelong mission to protect the health and dignity of marginalized
communities.
After
losing her husband to lung cancer and witnessing alarming rates of illness in
her neighborhood of Altgeld Gardens on Chicago’s South Side, she began
investigating the toxic conditions surrounding her community.
She
discovered that Altgeld Gardens, her family and neighbours were encircled by landfills, factories, and
sewage plants.
It was a “Toxic Doughnut” of pollution.
