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California African Americans Organize Against Big Tobacco and for Prop 86

By Carol McGruder
Director
San Francisco African American Tobacco Free Project

BlacksForProp86.org officially kicked off the formation of their grassroots initiative this Friday. For far too long the tobacco control industry has used African American front groups and lobbyists to impede legislation around tobacco control while simultaneously diluting and fragmenting community driven tobacco control efforts. www.BlacksForProp86.org is an ad hoc group of African American health professionals, researchers, clergy, tobacco control advocates and concerned community members who have banded together to support the passage of Prop 86, to stand up to the tobacco industry and to hold Black leadership organizations accountable around the vital issues of tobacco control and the African American community.

The tobacco industry has already spent over 70 million dollars to defeat Proposition 86. One of their arguments is that the tax would be unfair and regressive to low-income and minority voters. This is the same tobacco industry rhetoric that has been used against every proposed cigarette tax increase. Is the tobacco industry now defending the rights of the very groups that they have manipulated and aggressively marketed to over the years, the throw away communities who they have targeted with predatory marketing campaigns and inundated with mentholated /high nicotine cigarettes.

BlacksForProp86.org want the tobacco industry to know that if they want to help us they need to stop marketing their deadly products to our community and stop co-opting our leadership organizations. Each year over 45,000 African Americans die from tobacco related illnesses. Who will stand in truth for the 45,000 sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers, and grandparents taken from us? We will, we stand in truth for the 900,000 African American lives lost during the past 20 years of tobacco industry “regressive tax” rhetoric.

While the devastating effects of violence and AIDS are in the news daily, the slow and painful deaths of victims of Big Tobacco go unnoticed. Deaths that rob our community of the knowledge and wisdom of our elders. The jury is in, cigarette tax increases stop people from smoking and prevent youth from starting. The jury is in, the tobacco industry lies. Vote Yes on Prop 86!!!

Carol McGruder is a writer, trainer, researcher, activist, and workshop presenter. As the director of the San Francisco African American Tobacco Free Project, Ms. McGruder has over thirteen years of experience in the arena of tobacco control advocacy. Ms. McGruder is experienced in the fields of health education and community capacity building. She has served as a project director or consultant on a variety of projects in the public health arena.

Having lived and traveled extensively in France and West Africa, she is acutely aware of the effects of the globalization of Big Tobacco. She is particularly concerned about the predatory tobacco industry activities that are taking place in developing countries. She has a passion for forging international tobacco control alliances and has partners in the West African countries of Senegal and Togo.

Posted on October 30, 2006

Comments

"have manipulated and aggressively marketed to over the years" Anyone ever hear about taking control of ones life and being responsible for ones decisions? Nobody forced anyone to smoke. Get over it!

Posted by: steve at October 30, 2006 01:55 PM

Dear Steve,
True, nobody 'forced' anyone to smoke; but this is my world, too, and smokers are polluting the air with their smoke, the streets with their littered cigarette butts, and my lungs with their ash. THAT is not MY choice. And those horrible companies are taking advantage of ingenuous populations. Next time you want to write a great proclamation on a message board, try thinking outside yourself for once.

Posted by: Sara at November 14, 2006 05:22 PM

Thanks

Posted by: Ian at December 12, 2006 08:57 AM

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