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Black Caucus Should End Big Tobacco Ties

Posted on: Friday, 26 September 2008, 06:00 CDT

By Generic

The Congressional Black Caucus hosts its 38th Annual Legislative Conference this week, where thousands will converge on Washington to discuss how issues such as the economy, health care and the Iraq war are affecting African Americans.

For decades, tobacco companies have been major donors to the 43-member caucus. Altria, the parent company of Philip Morris, has donated $1.45 million to the group since 2002. The bucks don't stop there, either. Though some caucus members, such as Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., do not accept tobacco company contributions, others do. This fact should disturb blacks, who are at increased risk for lung cancer compared with whites, according to the American Lung Association.

The caucus-Big Tobacco ties also explain the dispute that erupted this summer over a provision in a bill that would enable the Food and Drug Administration to regulate tobacco. The bill, which was aimed at reducing the appeal of smoking to teenagers, would ban flavored cigarettes -- except for those with menthol, which are preferred by blacks.

Louis Sullivan, a former Health and Human Services secretary who's black, joined others in sending a letter to the bill's sponsor saying that the menthol exception amounted to discrimination against the health interests of blacks. Despite these objections, the caucus supported the legislation after including a feeble stipulation that a scientific panel would issue recommendations on menthol in cigarettes within a year.

As smoking has declined among whites, tobacco companies have targeted blacks. A San Diego State University study found that from January 1998 to August 2002, black magazines were 9.8 times and Latino magazines 2.6 times more likely than white magazines to contain ads for menthol cigarettes.

Why might black lawmakers accept tobacco donations? Caucus member Edolphus Towns, D-N.Y., who has been called the "Marlboro Man" because of his tobacco contributors, grew up the son of sharecroppers. His family relied on tobacco crops for their survival.

And to be fair, these companies have done some positive things. Philip Morris was the first company to desegregate cigarette factories in the South after World War II. Tobacco also has supported other black groups such as the NAACP, National Urban League and United Negro College Fund. Even so, no one should rest easy until the day when black institutions are not party to the occasional fling with Big Tobacco.

Yolanda Young hosts video blog Spadeproject.com. (c) Copyright 2008 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

Source: USA TODAY

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