Equity Action: Black History Month

Black History Month is a time to celebrate the rich culture, contributions and legacy of Black/African Americans. This month also gives us an opportunity to reflect on how the tobacco industry has aggressively pushed its deadly products into Black/African American communities for generations. For decades, tobacco companies heavily marketed menthol cigarettes to Black communities through sponsorships of music festivals, advertising in magazines popular with Black readers, and through billboards in neighborhoods with higher Black populations. This has led to a high rate of menthol cigarette use in Black/African American communities with more than 60% of Black adults who smoke in Colorado using menthol cigarettes. As a result of high rates of menthol cigarette use, Black Americans are more likely to die from smoking-related illnesses like heart disease, strokes, cancers and diabetes. Additionally, Black adults are more likely to attempt to quit smoking than their white counterparts but less likely to successfully quit. To hear more in-depth discussions of menthol tobacco’s impact on the Black/African American community, check out the Colorado Black Health Collaborative’s “Real Tak Menthol Moments Interviews” video series. You can also help tobacco users in your community learn more about quitting and evidence-based cessation resources by sharing information about the Colorado Quitline.

The associated files and links are available below.