Living And Dying In 'Cancer Alley': Using Human Rights Law And Environmental Justice To Create A Litigation Framework For Marginalized Communities, Neeharika Sistu

Honors Scholar Theses

Cancer Alley, Louisiana is a poignant example of the intersection between environmental justice, legal harm, and human rights abuses. This thesis dissects the laws and policies underpinning the creation of Cancer Alley with special attention to how they constitute human rights abuses under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.

Then, by performing a comprehensive analysis of litigation surrounding environmental justice in Louisiana, this thesis scrutinizes the efficacy of environmental law in creating environmental justice and suggests the integration of international human rights law and environmental …

Services Available In The Mixtec Community And The Barriers To Those Services, Currie Bailey Carmon

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Purpose: While outreach and services continue to expand within marginalized communities, this research aims to identify services accessible to the Mixtec population within the North County of San Luis Obispo and identify the barriers to accessing those services. Methods: This study was conducted by interviewing service providers 18 years or older, who work within the Mixtec community in the private sector, child welfare services and within the school settings. The researcher utilized the post positivist paradigm, and data was gathered through semi-structured Zoom interviews with the service providers. Results: The study sample featured 6 participants who work within the Mixtec …

“Nails Done, Hair Done, Everything Did!”: Consumption And The Creation Of Black Feminine Selves, Simone Reid

Honors Theses

This thesis examines how race and gender shape the meaning that Black women associate with their beauty consumption practices and spending. Much of the existing feminist scholarship on beauty has been postfeminist, privileging the concept of agency and empowerment over structural realities. However, the materialist feminist frame has more utility to address how beauty operates within the lives of Black women as a form of distinct gendered racial oppression. The concept of aesthetic capital emerges from the materialist feminist perspective and suggests that beauty demands the investment of considerable economic resources and can deliver economic returns. Despite this, aesthetic capital …

Offense Or Defense? Leadership Of The Nba And Nfl In Response To Athlete Activism, Katrina Hale

Honors Theses

Over the past decade, the Black community of the United States has faced great discrimination and violence leading to various protests and instances of activism across the county. In the world of sports, where one may think that political engagement has no relation, some Black athletes use their platforms to speak up about these issues. The National Football League (NFL) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) recruit the largest percentage of Black athletes compared to any other professional league in the U.S., but their reactions to racial activism on the field and on the court appear very different. In order …

Perceptions Of Tourism And Quality Of Life: A Case Study In Savannah, Georgia, Marissa J. Renee

Honors College Theses

The World Travel and Tourism Council estimates that Travel and Tourism accounted for 10.3% of the world economy in 2019 and ¼ of all net new jobs over the past five years. Savannah, Georgia has experienced huge growth in the last decade due to tourism, with visitor spending on lodging alone increasing from $466 million in 2009 to $1 billion in 2019. The current study examined differences in perceived impact of tourism on quality of life using established predictors of tourism sentiments. An online community survey was conducted in Chatham County, Georgia (N = 94) using the Tourism Quality of …

Population Gains Widespread In New Hampshire Counties Due To Migration, Kenneth M. Johnson

Carsey Publications

In this data snapshot, Senior Demographer Kenneth Johnson reports that the population of New Hampshire grew by 17,700 to 1,395,000 between April 2020, when the 2020 Census was conducted, and July 2022, according to new Census Bureau estimates. These population gains were widespread, occurring in each of the state’s ten counties despite deaths exceeding births in nine of the ten counties. The entire population gain accrued because 21,600 more people moved to the state than left it. The data underscore the continuing importance of migration to the state’s future. Such migration gains result both from attracting migrants to the state …

To: Earth Love, Ecofeminism, Amy Loberger

Sociology 323 Racial and Ethnic Relations

The Earth does not belong to us. We belong to the Earth.

Montana Voices Amplified: My Perspective: How To Help When You Don't Know How To Help, Elizabeth Hill, University Of Montana Rural Institute

Independent Living and Community Participation

Someone you care about is in serious crisis. How can you support them in their time of need? What should you say? (What shouldn't you say?) Elizabeth Hill, a writer and mom of a child with a genetic condition, explains how to help someone who is struggling, and the myriad ways her own family has been supported by the caring and giving of others.

"Patiently Waiting": How Do Non-Driving Disabled Adults Get Around In Rural America, Rtc: Rural, Krys Standley, Andrew Myers

Independent Living and Community Participation

Poster presentation exploring interviews with rural people with disabilities who rely solely on rides from others or public transportation.

How Texas Migration Patterns Changed During The Pandemic, Pia M. Orrenius, Madeline Zavodny

Mission Foods Texas-Mexico Center Research

The Covid-19 pandemic led to changes in where Americans work and live. The pandemic also affected international migration as borders were closed to nonessential travel and consulates shut down, slowing visa processing. These changes had implications for Texas, a state that has traditionally experienced large-scale domestic and international migration. This project also talks about the factors that positioned Texas to benefit from pandemic-induced changes in domestic migration patterns.

New Census Data Reflect The Continuing Impact Of Covid On U.S. Demographic Trends, Kenneth M. Johnson

Carsey Publications

In this brief, Senior Demographer Kenneth Johnson reports that, according to recent Census Bureau estimates, the U.S. population has grown at the slowest rate in history in the past two years due to the impact of Covid. Deaths exceeded births in 75 percent of all U.S. counties, far more than at any point in the past. Most of the modest population gain was due to migration, and its extent varied along the rural-urban continuum. Looking ahead, the size and distribution of future population gains remain uncertain. As the impact of the pandemic wanes, the excess of births over deaths is …

Which Demographic Groups And Which Places Have The Highest Drug Overdose Rates In The U.S.?, Shannon M. Monnat

Population Health Research Brief Series

Although the drug overdose crisis has affected all demographic groups and places in the United States, overdose rates are much higher in some sub-populations and places than others. This brief describes demographic and geographic differences in fatal drug overdose rates from 1999-2020. Throughout most of this period, fatal drug overdose rates were highest among young and middle-aged adult White and Native American males and middle-aged and older Black males. Rates have been consistently highest in Appalachia, but in recent years have spread throughout several regions in urban and rural areas alike. Although opioids have been the main contributor, cocaine- and …

U.S. Counties With Higher Drug Overdose Rates Have Lower School Test Scores, Rajeev Darolia, Sam Owens, John Tyler

Population Health Research Brief Series

The impacts of the contemporary U.S. drug overdose crisis on child and family wellbeing have been profound. This brief describes the link between county-level opioid overdose rates and children’s test scores, finding that counties with higher overdose rates have lower average 3^rd and 8th-grade test scores than counties with lower overdose rates. The relationship between higher overdose rates and lower test scores is particularly strong in rural counties. The places with the highest overdose rates and lowest test scores tend to be economically-disadvantaged, suggesting that economic investments may be needed to address the issue.

Counties With Higher Prescription Opioid Presence Have Slower Student Learning Rates, Jessica Drescher, Carrie Townley-Flores

Population Health Research Brief Series

The adverse impacts of the U.S. opioid crisis have been documented in many domains, but surprisingly little attention has been directed to understanding how the opioid crisis has affected children’s educational outcomes. This brief shows that students in counties with high levels of opioid prescribing are learning more slowly over time than their peers in counties with low levels of opioid prescribing. In addition to directing more support to schools, the authors advocate for policies that address the underlying social conditions that lead to prescription opioid misuse.

Prevalence And Factors Associated With Teenage Pregnancy In Sierra Leone: Evidence From A Nationally Representative Demographic And Health Survey Of 2019, Lilian Nuwabaine, Quraish Sserwanja, Kassim Kamara, Milton W. Musaba

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Background: Globally, teenage pregnancy remains a public health concern because of the associated maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. To address the extensive social, political and economic effects of teenage pregnancy, there is a need for current epidemiological evidence on its prevalence and associated factors, especially from low-resource settings where the burden is highest.

Methods: We used data from the 2019 Sierra Leone Demographic and Health Survey (SLDH), which included 3,427 female adolescents. Multistage stratified sampling was used to select study participants. Teenage pregnancy was defined as those who had ever either had a child, or terminated a pregnancy, …

Outcome Measurement Toolkit: A Resource For Centers For Independent Living, University Of Montana Rural Institute

Independent Living and Community Participation

RTC:Rural researchers and advisory groups provide a toolkit designed to help Center for Independent Living (CIL) administrators learn practices for measuring, evaluating, and improving outcomes generated by their CIL’s programs. This document is an adaptation of the Outcome Measures for Centers for Independent Living training, created with permission from Independent Living Research Utilization (ILRU).

Creating A Resource Map With Google My Maps, University Of Montana Rural Institute

Independent Living and Community Participation

RTC:Rural researchers provide a step-by-step tutorial for creating a community living resource map using Google My Maps.

State Covid-19 Policies That Restricted In-Person Interaction And Provided Economic Support Saved Lives During The First Year Of The Pandemic, Yue Sun, Erin Bisesti

Population Health Research Brief Series

States varied dramatically in their implementation of policies to mitigate coronavirus spread and provide financial safety nets to residents who may have been struggling with the pandemic’s economic fallout. These differences may have contributed to variations in COVID-19 mortality rates between states. This brief summarizes the results of a recent study examining how U.S. states’ COVID-19 policies were related to COVID-19 mortality rates from April to December 2020. The findings show that states that enacted policies restricting in-person interaction and providing economic support to residents had lower COVID-19 death rates than states without these policies. Over 29,000 lives could have …

: Changing Education And Workforce Demographics Impacting Nebraska, Josie Gatti Schafer

Presentations

Information on changing education and workforce demographics.

Summit Snapshot: Rural Personal Assistance Services, University Of Montana Rural Institute

Independent Living and Community Participation

RTC:Rural researchers and panels of individuals with lived experience present research and perspectives on rural personal assistance services at the 2023 Rural Disability Research and Practice Summit.

Montana Voices Amplified: My Perspective: Living And Grieving In Faith, Briella Wilson, University Of Montana Rural Institute

Independent Living and Community Participation

Briella Wilson lost her brother, Weston, when she was in the 3rd grade and has worked hard to overcome her grief. Her contribution to Montana Voices Amplified shares the importance of faith in negotiating grief.

Summit Snapshot: Rural Digital Access, University Of Montana Rural Institute

Independent Living and Community Participation

RTC:Rural researchers and panels of individuals with lived experience present research and perspectives on rural digital access at the 2023 Rural Disability Research and Practice Summit.

New Frontiers Of Integration: Convergent Pathways Of Neighborhood Diversification In Metropolitan New York, Kasey Zapatka, Van C. Tran

Publications and Research

This article examines the most recent trends on neighborhood racial integration in New York—the country’s largest metropolitan area in 2019 with a total population of 19.2 million. We ask how the suburbanization of both immigration and poverty have transformed suburbs over the last two decades. We highlight four findings. First, ethnoracial diversification has led to a significant decline in nonintegrated neighborhoods and a sharp rise in integrated neighborhoods, but such a decline is more dramatic in suburbs than in cities. Second, White-integrated neighborhoods remain the most prevalent form of neighborhood integration in both cities and suburbs. Third, immigrant neighborhoods are …

The Health And Social Impacts Of An Ageing Population In Singapore, And Why It Matters, Paulin Tay Straughan, Chongsheng, Micah (Chen Chongsheng) Tan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Singapore’s population is ageing rapidly, with the National Population and Talent Division estimating that about one in four Singaporeans will be aged 65 and above by 2030 (National Population and Talent Division 2022). It is anticipated that these demographic changes will have wide-reaching implications for the country that will span all sectors and dimensions of society. In this article, we focus in on two specific dimensions of the impact that an ageing population will have for society; health and social impacts. Using data from the Singapore Life Panel® (SLP) that has been running for the past seven years at the …

The Recent U.S. Population Growth Rate Increased From Last Year's Record Low, But Remains Below Historical Levels, Kenneth M. Johnson

Carsey Publications

In this data snapshot, Carsey Senior Demographer Kenneth Johnson reports that the U.S. population grew by just 1,256,000 between July of 2021 and July of 2022, according to new Census Bureau estimates. This was an increase from the record low growth of the preceding year, but it remains well below historical rates. There were just 245,000 more births than deaths in the past year, an increase from the 144,000 in the previous year, but still the second smallest natural gain in 80 years. Deaths reached a record high of 3,443,000 last year, 20 percent more than three years ago. In …

Discrimination On The Basis Of Nationality Under The Convention On The Elimination Of Racial Discrimination, William Thomas Worster

Pace International Law Review

Following a recent judgment by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), a divergence has opened between the Court and the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD Committee) over whether the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) covers nationality-based discrimination. The ICJ held that the CERD does not, but the CERD Committee had previously held the opposite. The solution to this difference is to recognize that the CERD excludes discrimination between citizens and aliens, and, in this, the ICJ was correct. However, this discrimination is distinct from discrimination between foreign persons on the basis …

Sociological Explanations Of Coronavirus Incidence Rates In Kentucky Counties, Sarah Cooper, James N. Maples

Kentucky Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

This study explores sociological explanations for Covid-19 incidence rates among Kentucky Counties. The authors examine how incidence rates varied pre/post-Omicron variant based on a county’s educational attainment, poverty rates, political perspective, health status, and place status (Appalachian status, metropolitan status). The authors discovered that none of these variables effectively explained differences in county level Covid-19 rates before Omicron. However, once Omicron became the prevalent variant in Kentucky, metropolitan status, Appalachian status, two measures of poverty rates, political perspective, and three measure of educational attainment all predicted differences in mean Covid-19 incidence rates.

Foreign Born Population In Nebraska, Josie Gatti Schafer, Tara Grell

Publications

No abstract provided.

Nebraska Community Foundation Greater Nebraska Youth Survey Report, Josie Gatti Schafer

Publications

No abstract provided.

Housing Perceptions In Nebraska For The Statewide Strategic Housing Plan, Josie Gatti Schafer, Morgan Vogel, Tara Grell

Publications

Availability of safe, attainable, and accessible housing for all Nebraskans • Consideration of the wide range and various needs of home occupants (i.e. young adults, renters, workforce/middle-income, family, low-income, seniors and aging population) • Data-driven, strategic, and community-driven approaches that deliver a supply of housing that meets the needs of each community • Various housing programs and tools to make sure all Nebraskans have a stable home, including rental options, rehabilitation, diverse financing options, and education • Preparation and investment for the construction workforce to ensure supply and rehabilitation of homes in every community • Representation for individuals in difficult …