Margaret Gordon
Courtesy of Civic Ventures
The Port of Oakland is one of the nation’s busiest container ports and also a source of heavy industrial activity and pollution. Margaret Gordon, 63, a housekeeper, moved to West Oakland and realized that her asthma became much worse. Her family was sicker, too. As she looked into area health conditions further, she discovered numerous ways in which the Port’s operations, including its truck traffic, were harming people. She began the West Oakland Environment Indicators Project. With growing community support, the organization has curbed or changed many unhealthful activities in the area.
