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its 100,000 residents, two coal-burning
power plants are nearby, and a Super-fund site with hazardous waste is blocks
from Rafael Hurtado’s house. “You wake
up some mornings, smell the air, and
your nose and throat burn,” he says. The
pollutants have proven toxic for the
community, especially its children. According to a study by the Harvard School
of Public Health, the power plants are
responsible for 40 premature deaths,
2,800 asthma attacks and 500 ER visits in
Little Village every year. Both Rafael and
his father, Rafael Sr., were diagnosed with
asthma about 10 years ago. “I don’t
think that’s a coincidence,” says Rafael.
“It’s the polluted environment we live in.”
In 2005 the ninth-grader volunteered
with the Little Village Environmental
Justice Organization (LVEJO), a nonprofit whose goal is to shut down the
coal plants, clean up contamination and
build more green space. Rafael started
out by distributing flyers and writing for
the newsletter but was soon recruited
as a guide for LVEJO’s Toxic Tours. The
two-hour walks are offered regularly to
residents, college students and environmental groups from across the country
to raise awareness about Little Village.
“He’s one of our most persuasive
speakers,” says Lilian Molina, the
group’s former youth coordinator. “He
can move people to get involved and,
we hope, start pressuring officials to
do the right thing.” The following
year Rafael took action at his
school, Little Village Lawndale
High, when he started teaching
a weekly class on the environmental problems facing Little
Village and helped students
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