“Truth Initiative and the NAACP today [Feb. 24] announced a partnership to confront the disproportionate toll of tobacco and nicotine addiction on Black communities and other historically marginalized groups, while supporting individuals in quitting for good,” Truth Initiative announced in a press release. “For decades, the tobacco industry has strategically exploited Black communities through predatory marketing and the appropriation of Black culture,” Dr. Kendric Dartis, vice president of outreach and engagement at Truth Initiative, was quoted in the release.
Building on Truth Initiative’s Breath of Freedom coalition, the partnership will host community discussions and workshops through the Culture + Cessation Collective, expand access to the free EX Program developed with Mayo Clinic, and advocate for stronger protections against menthol and flavored tobacco products.
Truth Initiative said 11.7% of Black American adults are current smokers, compared to 11.5% of American adults overall, and Blacks rank third in smoking rates ethnically behind Indians/Alaska Natives and non-Hispanic white people.