New exhibit shines a light on the troubling relationship between the tobacco industry and African Americans
The MUZEO Museum and Cultural Center opened “Same Game, Different Smokers” to the public on July 7 and continues until August 24. The groundbreaking exhibit is an exploration of the troubling relationship the tobacco industry has had with the Black community over the last 400+ years.
A collection of archival ads and images illustrate the complex connection between increased demand for commercialized tobacco, the transatlantic slave trade, racialized advertising, targeted ad placement, and the fact that approximately 47,000 African Americans die every year from tobacco-related illness.
Also revealed is the strategy by big tobacco companies to use menthol flavoring and strategic ad placement to attract and addict African Americans of all ages for more than 50 years. According to visitors, “Same Game Different Smokers” offers enriching food for thought, which once fully digested, might bring about positive change in the lives of individuals and the community at large.
The exhibit consists of over 30 panels and is accompanied by a K-12 curriculum that supports teachers in preparing their classes to visit the exhibit and allows young viewers to connect with the information in various ways.
“This eye and heart-opening exhibit is very timely because this November Californians will vote on whether our state will keep flavored tobacco products on the market,” explained Carol McGruder, co-founder of the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council (AATCLC).
“People need to see and ‘feel’ the historical context of this exhibit to better understand the historical and racist roots of the tobacco industry and the centuries of their predatory tactics killing African Americans.”
“Same Game, Different Smokers” is curated by Tracy Brown, an independent curator, artivist or artist activist and capacity building consultant and sponsored by the AATCLC.
Established in 2008, the mission of the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council (AATCLC) is to inform and influence the direction of tobacco control as it affects the lives of African American and African immigrant communities. The AATCLC works at the intersection of social injustice and public health policy.
Working with health jurisdictions, elected officials, community-based organizations, tobacco researchers, activists and the media, the AATCLC has played a key role in elevating the issue of regulating the sale of menthol and flavored tobacco products to one of national concern and action.
Each year, more than 72,000 African Americans are diagnosed with a tobacco-related illness and more than 45,000 die from a tobacco-induced disease. 85% of all African American smokers smoke menthol cigarettes compared to 29% of White smokers. Menthol cigarettes increase addiction and make it harder to quit. More than 70% of African American smokers want to quit, and more than 60% made a quit attempt in the previous year. However, African American smokers are less likely than White smokers to successfully quit smoking.
Learn more at www.savingblacklives.org.
