Amanda Hawes is a partner in the class-action litigation firm Alexander, Hawes & Audet. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Wellesley College, she was awarded a Juris Doctorate by Harvard Law School in 1968. A pioneer in toxic chemical litigation and the medical effects of toxic chemicals, Ms. Hawes has taught environmental justice and toxic torts at Golden Gate University School of Law, Santa Clara Law School and the University of California's Hastings College of Law, where she was a faculty member from 1975 to 1988.
Amanda Perez is a lecturer at the UC Davis King Hall School of Law and former executive director of the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation, an organization providing legal aid and advocacy for residents of rural California. The foundation works to naturalize residents in remote rural areas of the state as well as advocates for rural rights related to education, safety, environment, housing and health.
Native Americans experience higher disease rates than other Americans for problems ranging from diabetes and heart ailments to mental illness and suicides, which contribute to their lower life expectancy. Get tips from a veteran journalist for covering these health issues.