Tobacco.org

Minnesota Teens Gather to Send Message: They Will Not Be Tobacco Industry’s Targets  

Today more than 100 Minnesota teens will gather in St. Paul to air the tobacco industrys dirty laundry in Mears Park. A public awareness display hanging -- 1,200 t-shirts on laundry lines -- was constructed in protest of the tobacco industrys continued success in addicting young people. Teens will unveil the display at a youth rally in the park.

The display wraps up a three-day youth leadership summit organized by Catalyst -- a group of teen leaders dedicated to making their voices heard on public health issues. Youth joined together at the University of Minnesota, June 11-13 to construct the moving display, which represent the 1,200 people who die everyday in the U.S. from tobacco and secondhand smoke.

In addition to calling attention to the number of lives lost to tobacco, Catalyst youth hope their display will send a powerful message to the public and the tobacco industry: Minnesotas teens refuse to be targets of the tobacco industry, and they will not be the replacement customers to fill the shirts of those who have died.

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