Commercial tobacco has evolved over the years, from loose tobacco and regular cigarettes to menthols, chew, flavored cigars, orbs, and e-cigs, among many other products. One thing that hasn’t changed is the historic targeting and abuse of Black communities and others by the tobacco industry. It can be said that it’s the Same Game, just Different Smokers, and this story is coming to Kenosha.
National exhibition, Same Game Different Smokers, is an exploration of the troubling 400+ year relationship between the tobacco industry and Black America. Developed and curated by artist and artivist Tracy Brown, the exhibit examines the connections between the Tobacco Industry’s role in the birth and evolution of slavery in America, targeted marketing through the decades, and the over promotion of menthol cigarettes and now e-cigarettes to African Americans, LGBTQ+, Latinx, youths and other groups.
The exhibition is sponsored by the Wisconsin Commercial Tobacco Prevention and Treatment Program, its national partner the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials and the Wisconsin African American Tobacco Prevention Network. Same Game Different Smokers has been brought to Kenosha by the KRW Tobacco-Free Coalition Coordinator, in partnership with Kenosha Public Library.
The exhbit is open through Saturday, Oct 26 on Mondays-Satrudays durling open library hours.