disease control and prevention, native americans face alarming inequities in cancer incidence and mortality. the mission of the american indian cancer foundation is to eliminate the cancer burdens on native american families through education, prevention, early detection, treatment, and survivor support. hannah johnson: in the heart of minneapolis is the american indian cancer foundation, a national, native-govern organization dedicated to building stronger native nations by changing the story of cancer across indian country. the organization came to be, because there was a group of community leaders here in minneapolis that were recognizing growing cancer burdens among american indian elders and families, where too often a cancer diagnosis ended up as a death sentence. and that is not the case in mainstream america anymore. in the last 20 years, cancer mortality rates have decreased among the mainstream population, but american in communities haven't been able to celebrate those same rates. we know that cigarette smoking results in cancer. there's clear linkages. nine out of 10 cases of lung cancer are directly linked to cigarette smoking. an

rita aspinwall: we visit the american indian cancer foundation and learn about its mission. ernie stevens: and we meet the honorable diane humetewa, united states district court judges for the district of arizona. rita aspinwall: we also hear from our elders on this edition of "native report." narrator: production of "native report" is made possible by grants from the shakopee mdewakanton sioux community, the blandin foundation, and the duluth superior area community foundation. [music playing]