About the Speaker: Cheryl Johnson serves as Executive Director of People for Community Recovery. She is the daughter of the late Mrs. Hazel Johnson, who founded PCR. Cheryl learned the fundamentals of community organizing from her mother and carries on the work of PCR’s mission to enhance the quality of life of residents living in communities affected by pollution.
A lifelong resident of Altgeld Gardens, Cheryl is a well-known and highly trusted community leader. She is a fierce advocate for economic equity and environmental community benefits for south side residents. Cheryl has played an integral role in the functioning and success of PCR’s programs and administration since 1987. In 2001, she assumed the role of PCR’s Executive Director. Under her leadership, PCR has continued to work for environmental justice and economic equity, expanding their outreach across the region. Since then, PCR has stopped discriminatory recruiting practices from the Ford Motor Company on the far south side, prevented hundreds of units in Altgeld Gardens from being torn down and displacing residents, pressured the CHA to create a redevelopment plan that included community input, secured safe environmental cleanup on the south side and stopped (another) landfill from being placed in our community.
Her deep community connection and long-term vision for a thriving far south side and commitment to carrying out her late mother’s legacy fuels her work. She serves on the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Environmental Justice Advisory Council and the Illinois Environmental Justice Commission. She is also a certified trainer International Chemical Workers Union Health and Safety Council/Coalition of Black Trade Unionists.
About Food for the Soul: Food for the Soul, part of the Lunch on Us series, is a weekly noontime discussion focused on topics relevant to the many communities globally within the African Diaspora and our allies. Food for the Soul is hosted by the Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center.
This year's Fall 2024 Food For The Soul theme is Kuumba (creativity), which pays homage to the center’s first director, the beloved Val Gray Ward whose dedication and excellence laid the foundation for our work today!