The Advocate

Do you care about public health? Is improving sustainability and resiliency important to you? Are you interested in stopping the flow of poisonous tobacco products into youth, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ communities? Then here's your opportunity to help educate San Leandro residents about how they can take action to end the sale of menthol cigarettes in our city! The event is on Saturday, October 16, 9:30 AM to 12:00 Noon. RSVP here for the meet-up location. It's a door-to-door precinct walk. Training is provided. Friends and family welcome! Contact actobaccofree@gmail.com for information.   Here's the official blurb The Alameda County Tobacco Control Coalition is requesting help and support as San Leandro considers strengthening their Tobacco Retail Licensing (TRL) ordinance in the coming months, including ending the sale of menthol tobacco products in the city. Surrounding cities have since ended the sale of menthol and all flavored tobacco, making San Leandro the go-to city to bu...

(Source) The title really tells you everything you need to know about what this post is for. Menthol tobacco products kill thousands of people every year and leave even more with lifelong debilitating illnesses. Even if we weren't in the midst of the most deadly pandemic in modern history fueled by a respiratory-based illness, this would still be the right thing to do. Here's how you can help: 1. Youth Organizers from both San Leandro and Union City will be hosting a joint press event and rally against Big Tobacco on Tuesday, August 10th at 11:00 a.m. at Memorial Park 1105 Bancroft Avenue in San Leandro. Please feel free to circulate the attached flyer and invite others to join this youth-led event.   2. The African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council will be hosting a San Leandro “Why Menthol? Why Now?” Virtual Community Event on Wednesday, September 1st from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. San Leandro organizations will be co-hosting, including Unity in the Community, SLATE, and t...

If you haven’t heard yet, the city is preparing to review our tobacco ordinance later this month. We are one of the few cities in Alameda County that has yet to ban the sale of menthol-flavored cigarettes, which disproportionately targets and kills Black people. Now, the obvious question is: why should we bother banning menthol? People know the dangers of smoking, right? Let people make their own choices, right? I wish it were that simple... Start with the sad fact that smoking-related illnesses kill more Black people than AIDS, car crashes, and murder combined! In fact, the combination of vaping and menthol use among Black youth is renewing the cycle of addiction and death for future generations. How is this happening? Well, the tobacco industry has gone to great lengths to push menthol tobacco products into Black communities, despite knowing how deadly they can be. They’ve actually been doing this for decades. Meanwhile, they’re simultaneously spreading misinformation and fear about...