National African American Tobacco Prevention Network: Resources

Voices from the Village PSA Toolkit

Celebrities Join NAATPN to Launch National Campaign To Reduce Tobacco Use Among African Americans

The National African American Tobacco Prevention Network (NAATPN) launches “Voices from the Village”, a national campaign featuring the voices of actor and activist Harry Belafonte, actress S. Epatha Merkerson, and sportscaster James Brown of NFL CBS Sports. The radio public service announcements are a part of the National African American Tobacco Prevention Network’s initiative aimed at educating and decreasing tobacco use and smoking in the African American community.

“This campaign has been in the making for more than a year, and we want to thank the celebrities that you will hear for assisting us in this effort. More than 47,000 African Americans lose their lives to tobacco use each year, and during this holiday season we wanted to make a special appeal to our communities in the United States and the U.S. Virgin Islands for better health in the coming year,” said Executive Director William S. Robinson of the National African American Tobacco Prevention Network.
The PSAs are based on statistics that show tobacco use, smoking, and smoking-related illnesses have a devastating effect on African Americans. Harry Belafonte, S. Epatha Merkerson, and James Brown are very concerned and understand the dangers that the African American community faces due to smoking and the use of tobacco. Their voices are very clear. The 30- and 60-second spots will be made available to major urban radio stations, state health departments, and statewide African American networks, organizations, and/or coalitions involved in tobacco control in each state.

Smoking-related illnesses are responsible for the death of 47,000 African Americans annually in the United States. There are an estimated 1.6 million African Americans under the age of 18 who will become regular smokers if current trends continue, and about 500,000 will die of smoking-related illnesses. Approximately three of every four African American smokers prefer menthol cigarettes, which tend to be more toxic. Menthols are the most heavily marketed brand of cigarettes in Black communities. New figures from the Centers for Disease Control show smoking among Black teens is on the rise. Additionally, smoking is the leading cause of premature death in the United States, killing an estimated 440,000 Americans per year. These deaths can be prevented if we stop using tobacco.

Each set of PSAs will be accompanied by a booklet with information about the campaign, tobacco-related facts, a short history of African Americans and tobacco, and helpful tips for getting the messages on the air. For more information email pr@naatpn.org call (803) 731-8413.
Contact: Tammy McCottry-Brown Media Relations Consultant (843) 766-0477

PSA Samples

Click the Play buttons below to hear the PSA samples: