(Bring the teens you serve out to perform and/or attend!)

(Receive a backpack full of school supplies for your teen!)

WOULD YOUR TEEN LIKE TO PERFORM?

The Poet Life, in collaboration with the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council (AATCLC), is curating a national poetry showcase to expose the tobacco industry. Students will first learn how the tobacco industry targets kids, Black Americans, and other communities with its deadly and addictive products — and will then learn how to use poetry to educate others and demand action. Participants will be incentivized with gift cards, swag bags, and have the chance to get involved in tobacco prevention advocacy at takedowntobacco.org.

How Can Poetry Help Expose Tobacco?

Poetry can be a powerful tool for raising awareness and exposing the harmful practices of Big Tobacco in targeting minority communities. Here are a few ways that poetry can help:

  1. Giving voice to the marginalized: Poetry can give voice to the experiences of minority communities who have been targeted by Big Tobacco. By sharing their stories and perspectives, poetry can help to amplify the voices of those who are often silenced or ignored.

  2. Creating emotional connections: Poetry can evoke powerful emotions that can help to engage people and motivate them to take action. By using vivid imagery and evocative language, poetry can help to bring the issue of Big Tobacco's targeting of minority communities to life in a way that is both compelling and memorable.

  3. Challenging the status quo: Poetry can challenge the dominant narratives that support the tobacco industry's practices. By using creative language and thought-provoking imagery, poetry can help to expose the ways in which Big Tobacco manipulates and exploits minority communities for profit.

  4. Building solidarity: Poetry can help to build connections and solidarity between different communities that are affected by Big tobacco. By sharing stories and experiences through poetry, people can come together to fight against the harmful practices of the tobacco industry and work towards a more just and equitable society.

In summary, poetry can be a powerful tool for exposing the ways in which Big Tobacco targets minority communities. By giving voice to the marginalized, creating emotional connections, challenging the status quo, and building solidarity, poetry can help to raise awareness and inspire action.

A Poem From One our Previous Students

(Press Play To Listen)

Tobacco Giants Prey

They come with bright lights, slick ads and branding,

Preying on the vulnerable, targeting the landing,

Big Tobacco giants with deep pockets,

And no conscience, morals, or soul that rockets.

In alleyways and bodegas, in the heart of every town,

They peddle their poison, and bring the community down,

With a knack for targeting minorities, and children too,

They weave their webs of deceit and make it seem new.

They lure them in with menthols and flavors,

Trying to make addiction seem like a savior,

To hook them in, their life-long customers,

And watch their profits grow with every new consumer.

Their tactics are vile, their strategies clear,

Toxic products in minority neighborhoods, they appear,

Yet their conscience is numb, they don't seem to care,

For them, it's just business, and profits they will share.

We must stand up, and fight against this menace,

For our health, and our communities, we must defend us,

To say no to the lies, the deceit, and the shame,

And fight against the giants, and reclaim our name.

We will fight with all our might, and will not tire,

For in this battle, our lives are on the wire,

Against the tobacco giants, our cause is true,

And we will emerge victorious, beating them anew.