1. Background Local activism is one of the most effective ways to curtail Tobacco Industry influence and to impact their bottom line. Motivating individuals to take action is a delicate blend of message and messenger. In some cases, the intent to motivate results in a backlash of reaction against the messenger. However, reaction can be a catalyst to action that far exceeds the intended outcome. A local tobacco control coalition, anxious to spread the word of how the Tobacco Industry targets diverse populations, distributed ink pens as promotional items. The pens were embossed with the quote… “We don’t smoke it. We just sell it. We reserve that right for the young, the black, the poor, and the stupid.” ~RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co. Executive The intent was for the quote to set off alarm bells in the minds and hearts and to motivate individuals to do something about it! Unspoken Rules The use of the quote on the pen ignited a controversy that could have devastated the local tobacco control coalition. Unspoken rules of social engagement in the African American community were broken by an incomplete message being sent by the wrong messenger through the wrong communication channel. To OUTCOME In response to the outcry from the community leader, the local tobacco coalition teamed with the Oklahoma African American Tobacco Education Network to present a public forum. The public forum exposed the practices of the Tobacco Industry and the African American health disparities resulting from tobacco use. The forum catapulted the community to a higher level of readiness. The community began to acknowledge disparities and to appreciate diversity in creating solutions. With the city mayor championing change, outcomes from the incident included: Joint press conference with ethnic network and tobacco control coalition Mayor’s forum on community diversity and tobacco industry tactics Passage of an updated clean indoor air ordinance Passage of a youth access ordinance New partnerships with African American and Hispanic churches Lessons Learned The right messenger with the right message communicated through the right channel can unite a community and turn the outrage into outcome. In planning and implementation, gatekeepers and opinion leaders can inform tobacco control programs of group rules, norms, and values. Local Call to Action: Addressing African American Community Concerns Latricia Morgan 1, Eugene Johnson 2, Janie Horton 3, John Moore 4, and Malinda Reddish Douglas 1 1 Oklahoma State Department of Health, 2 Tulsa Community College, 3 Community Children’s Shelter, 4 City of Ardmore Joint press conference with Carter County Turning Point coalition and Oklahoma African American Tobacco Education Network Local newspaper coverage of community forum Advertisement of community forum on “Big Tobacco Targets You” From OUTRAGE The use of the quote on the pen by the tobacco control coalition unleashed an undercurrent of perceptions, beliefs, and values. For one African American community leader, the quote stirred up feelings of oppression, disrespect, and racism. He did not blame the Tobacco Industry for the quote. He was outraged by what he thought was the coalition’s agreement with the sentiment expressed by the quote. The African American community leader called for firing of the coordinator for the use of the quote. His reaction began a chain of events that reached from the local coalition to state government. Agency Board Tobacco Coalition Agency Director State Health Dept Ethnic Network Turning Point Coalition Plan of Action AA community leader complaint Figure 1. Chain of events leading to community action