Tobacco companies are targeting Black communities with marketing for menthol cigarettes and other products like e-cigarettes. They are trying to convince kids to start smoking using tactics like parties and concerts, product placement on popular youth streaming shows, and school presentations. Instead of facing its history of colonialism and racism, Big Tobacco uses philanthropy and corporate social responsibility programs to distract from its current exploitative activities. This is unacceptable.
Targeting Black Youth
When marketing tobacco and vaping products, there is no more targeted population than Black youth. Tobacco companies targeting black communities isn’t just an accident of history or the result of racial justice issues in America; it’s an intentional strategy by Big Tobacco to exploit Black communities. Studies show that Black people are more likely to experience racial discrimination and that perceptions of racial bias are associated with smoking onset and escalation.
This makes it all the more important to ensure that any efforts to protect Black youth from the harms of tobacco are done in partnership with or led by the community members themselves.
Exploitation at the Neighborhood Level
The tobacco industry has exploited communities of color with blatant marketing strategies for decades. These predatory tactics have led to higher rates of tobacco use and smoking-related diseases for people in Black communities. Historically, tobacco companies have used Black models and actors in advertising, aggressively marketed menthol cigarettes to Black consumers, and handed out free samples in African-American neighborhoods to create a false “cultural affinity” for their deadly products.
As a result of this exploitation, Black Americans now suffer disproportionately from the consequences of tobacco-related disease and death. Tobacco companies continue to profile vulnerable groups – including Black Americans, low-income populations, and youth – to recruit new customers and replace those dying from tobacco-related diseases.
Moreover, the tobacco industry continues using cheap labor to harvest crops, paying farmers meager wages. A Guardian investigation in 2018 found that families working tobacco farms in Malawi were often paid nothing until their crop was harvested, then received only a tiny percentage of the profits. To make matters worse, cigarette companies often fund community organizations with messages that sway public opinion and deflect attention from their actions.
The Tobacco Industry’s Racist Roots
Throughout its history, the tobacco industry has exploited the labor and lives of Black people. Today, the industry’s racist tactics are killing Black communities at an alarming rate, with tobacco use being the leading cause of preventable death and disease among Black Americans. It’s the leading risk factor for diseases like heart disease and cancer — which can also lead to respiratory illness. One is COVID-19, a new and devastating virus disproportionately affecting Black communities.
Despite its claim to be an ally, Big Tobacco continues to target the Black community with predatory marketing and deadly products. In the wake of rising uprisings against police violence and support for Black Lives Matter, many corporations are scrambling to appear on the right side of history by donating money and promoting their “anti-racist” agenda.
However, these corporate initiatives are often little more than PR stunts, with little to no real impact on addressing the inequities in health outcomes caused by structural racism and poverty. To normalize and glamorize tobacco use, the industry promotes waterpipes among non-majority groups, such as Middle Eastern and South Asian communities, by branding them as ancient and cultural traditions. This misrepresentation aims to drive product sales and counter public health interventions such as 100% smoke-free laws.
The industry has also used this strategy to market its flavored tobacco products in Native American and Indigenous communities by advertising them as “American Spirit.” These campaigns are part of a broader pattern of corporate exploitation of marginalized populations’ cultures, values, and beliefs to advance their profit margins.
International Action
For decades, tobacco companies have targeted Black communities by placing their products in predominately Black neighborhoods and targeting the community with marketing campaigns that exploit cultural hallmarks. The tobacco industry profiles people based on race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability or limitation, income, geographic location, veteran status, and behavioral health concerns.
Many of these characteristics are exacerbated by living in vulnerable communities and can increase vulnerability to COVID-19. Tobacco company exploitation isn’t limited to the United States. It spans the globe. In Africa, for instance, the growing of tobacco provides a form of exploitation for thousands of families who are paid low wages to harvest tobacco.
Often, these families are forced to take their children out of school and leave the country for better jobs or life. Tobacco company exploitation can be stopped. But, it takes the courage of local leaders and activists to stand up for their communities and call out the tobacco companies for their actions. We must also support international efforts that address the root causes of poverty and inequality worldwide.