Learning Objectives: List multiple expamles of Big Tobacco's history of using cultural iconography to target communities of color. Give an articulate argument why racial justice organizations should be concerned with tobacco control. Outreach to non-traditional tobacco control student organizations about Big Tobacco's exploits using a transnational analysis.
Abstract: Tobacco control activists have long struggled to engage college students between the age of 18 and 24 in resisting the tobacco industry. Even less progress has been made outreaching outside of the public health community to non-traditional tobacco control student organizations.
Expanding the discourse of tobacco control to include case studies of Big Tobacco’s assault on the environment, child labor, racial justice and animal rights has broadened the support base of activists demanding tobacco control. Recently college students in California have begun to embrace the Campaign Against Transnational Tobacco as a social justice movement.
While Big Tobacco continues to target communities of color, tobacco control advocates recognize the need to work with diverse student organizations to transport the message of Big Tobacco’s deadly impact. By showing the tobacco industry’s historical use of cultural icons in advertising to further cigarette sales, the Campaign Against Transnational Tobacco has inspired student organizations of color to stand in solidarity with other student organizations, international activists, and their communities to counter Big Tobacco’s exploits.
Big Tobacco has long used specific advertising campaigns targeted at communities of color. Examples showing the use of the appropriation of cultural trends will be presented by student panelists including the tobacco industry’s cooptation of Hip Hop to target the African American community. Sharing evidence of tobacco industry documents relating to racial profiling in communities of color will be discussed as methods to reduce ethnic disparity in tobacco control.
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