The White House’s potential ban on menthol tobacco draws concerns from two groups: health advocates argue it will help more Black American adults quit smoking, and law enforcement and civil rights leaders say it unfairly targets Black Americans and could increase illegal sales and policing issues. However, who is listening to the concerns of the community, the concerns of Black mothers?
One Mother’s Story
My point of view on the menthol ban differs from all supporters and opponents. I am a mother who has suffered the greatest loss. I now turn to activism against police violence and inequitable policies in the criminal justice system through the E.R.I.C. Initiative Foundation, which stands for “Eliminating Racism & Inequality Collective.”
To lose a son to police violence over something as trivial as the accusation of selling loosie cigarettes must never happen to another mother. Black men and women have been targeted by police over cigarettes, so why do some refuse to see the concerns with enforcement of a federal ban? Why do some claim to not want another tragedy like my son’s yet support the prohibition? The two cannot peacefully coexist.
Black Mothers
Supporters of the ban claim it will benefit the Black community. Black mothers are leaders in the Black community. Black mothers head the majority of Black single-parent homes. A 2024 Current Project Survey of Black Single Mothers found that 76% are concerned about their child’s education or academic progress, and 55% say state and local elected officials are doing a poor job when it comes to responding to the issues that are important to Black single mothers.
Who is Listening?
Black single mothers want to be heard, and their concerns are vastly more important than the government mandating the cigarette of choice for adults 21 and older.
So, how could the prohibition impact Black women? According to 2023 J.A.M.A. Internal Medicine research, Massachusetts saw a “58.6% increase in smoking among Black women; the menthol cigarette ban led to a net increase in smoking among Black adults.”
Samuel Asare, principal scientist in tobacco control research at the American Cancer Society, suggests that prohibiting menthols, the cigarettes preferred by Black smokers, might be counterproductive to stated public health goals and calls for better health equity.
While I do not smoke and certainly do not condone smoking, I am hopeful that this presidential administration will understand the consequences of such a prohibition and instead focus on the reality of the Black experience in America.
“Less Poverty, Less Prison, More College: What Two Parents Mean For Black and White Children” from I.F.S. can be painful for some to read; however, it demonstrates the adverse web that many Black single mothers fight against. Black mothers need policymakers to remove the blindfolds rather than adopting a prohibition that will favor an unjust criminal justice system, especially for Black men and boys.
Democratic Reps. like Yvette Clarke (N.Y.) and other co-chairs of the Caucus on Black Women and Girls reintroduced the Protect Black Women and Girls Act on Feb. 14, more than two years after it was first introduced. This vital act will study the experiences of Black women and girls in America who have too often been denied them. Further, nearly two years ago, in 2022, Rep. Clarke also bravely addressed the unintended consequences of a federal menthol ban.
Who is listening? Will a federal menthol ban be prioritized over a bill that listens to the concerns of Black women, girls, and mothers?
The Mothers of the Movement feel very strongly, as loved ones of those who have fallen victim to violent, and in some cases lethal, encounters, that this is the time to raise their voices. This is the time for families, mothers, women, ministers, and the community to ask legislators to do better for our communities and our black men and women, smokers and non-smokers.
My hope is everlasting. Our policymakers must listen to Black women and communities of color and build economic pathways, adopt needed police reform measures, protect Black girls, and strengthen our education system rather than funding prisons based on the century-old school-to-prison pipeline. More and better education is the answer. This is the number one concern for the Black single mothers surveyed. Education is also the primary solution to reduce smoking, not a prohibition.
Will our policymakers listen?
Gwen Carr is an activist, mother of Eric Garner, and founder of the E.R.I.C. Initiative Foundation Inc. and Mothers of the Movement.
