Objectives. To describe Alaska Native parents' knowledge of and attitudes towards cervical cancer, the human papillomavirus (HPV) and the HPV vaccine. Study Design. This was a qualitative study composed of 11 focus groups (n=80) that were held in 1 small village, towns and 1 large urban centre in Alaska. Methods. A convenience sample of Alaska Native parents/guardians was recruited in each community to participate in focus groups and to fill out a quantitative survey. Results. While many parents had heard about HPV, most were unaware of its link with cervical cancer. The majority wanted to vaccinate their daughters because they had health and safety concerns; believed that vaccines work; had personal experiences with cancer; or believed that their daughters were susceptible to HPV. Reasons for refusal included general concerns about vaccines; a need for more information; a fear of side effects; wanting more vaccine research; and a fear of being in an experimental trial. Conclusions. The majority of parents were interested in having their daughters vaccinated. Acceptance of the vaccine was primarily based on a parent's desire to protect her/his child from cancer; while reasons for refusal revolved around trust issues and fear of unknown negative consequences

Chronicles from the Environmental Justice Frontline, first published in 1991, provides a rare glimpse of the environmental justice movement as it plays out in four landmark struggles at the end of the twentieth century. The book describes the stories of everyday people who have decided to take to the streets to battle what they perceive as injustice: the unequal exposure of minorities and the poor to the 'bads' produced by our industrial society. In these struggles residents and local, state, and national environmental and social justice groups are on one side pitted against local and state government representatives and industry on the other. By employing historical and theoretical lenses in viewing these struggles, the book reveals how situations of environmental injustice are created and how they are resolved. These cases bear great similarity to battles occurring across the nation, and are setting precedents for national and state agencies as they handle these cases.

Poor and minority communities facing environmental hazards have increasingly turned to legal strategies to seek redress but a divide has emerged in these cases and their outcomes. Some aggrieved communities turn to private injury lawyers, while others secure representation by public interest groups, such as Earthjustice, the Southern Environmental Law Center, or university law clinics. Is justice being equally served in these cases? We analyze the impact of toxic tort versus legal aid approaches in determining the outcome of environmental justice struggles using four landmark cases from Louisiana in the context of other factors that appeared important in determining how these cases resolved.

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