Op-ed: Ending the sale of flavored tobacco will save Black kids’ lives in Westchester by Frank Williams Jr.
Later this month, the Westchester County Board of Legislators will consider a bill that would end the sale of flavored tobacco products. Despite the urgent public health needs for this critical reform, there have been some in our community that are concerned that a bill like this could lead to the further criminalization of Black children and families in our county. It’s time to set the record straight. By ending the sale of flavored tobacco, the bill seeks to reverse at their root cause generations of racially unjust practices by tobacco companies – practices that have long had real and deadly consequences for Black Americans across the country. Big Tobacco is playing by the same playbook they’ve followed for decades, and we have to stop them here in Westchester once and for all. Like so many other Black mothers and fathers, I know all too well the fear in our community of having an encounter with law enforcement go terribly wrong. Here in New York, we saw practices like stop-and-frisk be abused by law enforcement for years, and we have fought against injustices like the death of Eric Garner. But it’s important to note that this proposed bill poses absolutely [...]
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Later this month, the Westchester County Board of Legislators will consider a bill that would end the sale of flavored tobacco products. Despite the urgent public health needs for this critical reform, there have been some in our community that are concerned that a bill like this could lead to the further criminalization of Black children and families in our county. It’s time to set the record straight. By ending the sale of flavored tobacco, the bill seeks to reverse at their root cause generations of racially unjust practices by tobacco companies – practices that have long had real and deadly consequences for Black Americans across the country. Big Tobacco is playing by the same playbook they’ve followed for decades, and we have to stop them here in Westchester once and for all. Like so many other Black mothers and fathers, I know all too well the fear in our community of having an encounter with law enforcement go terribly wrong. Here in New York, we saw practices like stop-and-frisk be abused by law enforcement for years, and we have fought against injustices like the death of Eric Garner. But it’s important to note that this proposed bill poses absolutely [...]
