Thousands of Young People Take on Tobacco Industry
March 23, 2011
Thousands of young people at hundreds of events from coast-to-coast are taking action against tobacco use today — the 16th annual Kick Butts Day!
Kick Butts Day is a national day of activism that empowers youth to speak up and take action against Big Tobacco at hundreds of events across the USA — and even abroad.
Youth have planned creative, high-impact activities that push back against Big Tobacco's deadly marketing and advocate for strategies proven to reduce tobacco use — smoke-free laws, higher tobacco taxes and fully funded state programs to prevent kids from smoking and help smokers quit.
Here's just a few:
- In Westbrook Maine, students from the Westbrook High Wellness club are performing a 'Zombie March Flash Mob' to call attention to the dangers of tobacco use.
- Mayor Joan Foster and three local doctors are joining students at E.C. Glass High School in Lynchburg, Virginia at a press conference to call for higher tobacco taxes — Virginia has the second lowest cigarette tax in the nation.
- At Oklahoma State University, thousands of students, faculty and community members are gathering to demonstrate Project 6,000, representing more than 6,000 Oklahomans who die from tobacco each day. They're showcasing smoke-free campuses throughout the state, and urging other schools to join them.
Already, Kick Butts Day is drawing media attention. Check out these stories from North Carolina and Mississippi.
You can follow all the action on Facebook and Twitter.
And remember to send us your pictures and your videos — we'll post the best soon!