On Friday, September 24 in downtown, a funeral was held for Mike “Menthol” Wilson to raise awareness of the harmful effects of menthol cigarettes on Black and Brown communities.
Organized by the Making It Count Community Development Corporation (MIC), the satiric memorial service was held that evening at the Belt located at 1274 Library St. where about 100 people gathered under the open air in the alley to say goodbye to menthol for good. With liquor pouring, and alcohol-infused ice cream being served up, it was all but a party atmosphere – with constant reminders that smoking still kills.
Menthol is a crystalline compound with a cooling minty taste and odor, found in peppermint, tobacco, and other natural oils. It is used as a flavoring and in decongestants and analgesics, according to the dictionary. It is also used in cigarettes found primarily in minority communities.
From a hearse wrapped in anti-menthol messages pulling up to the Belt carrying Mike “Menthol” Wilson in a casket (which creatively looked like a cigarette box) and the Rev. “No Mo Smokes” — actor/comedian Michael McDaniel — enthusiastically eulogizing his life (with all the flair of a Baptist preacher) to a hype church choir remixing gospel song with anti-smoking messages — there was a lot to take in that day.
During the event, large, illuminated pictures of facts about menthol were displayed in rows in the middle of the event – just beyond the stage where the choir and preacher did their thing.
“We were saddened by the news that Mike “Menthol” Wilson took his last breath after several hard gasps and puffs,” said Rev. No Mo’ Smokes. “He died the way he lived. With a cigarette dangling out of the left side of his mouth. So, let’s celebrate his life by saying we won’t be fooled by Big Tobacco No Mo’!”
Commissioner Janet Jackson (D-Southfield), who “tearfully” spoke during the funeral, told the Michigan Chronicle beforehand that the event is to really reach African Americans — especially teens — (who are a targeted market) to stop smoking menthol cigarettes.
Jackson said that Southfield was surveyed, and smoking was more prevalent among African American teens and other groups.
“We have an anti-drug coalition in Southfield … just coming here today and being a part of this accentuates that work that we are doing in our community and this initiative is very informative because a lot of our African American community is not aware that menthol cigarettes are targeted to us,” Jackson said. “We are the main users of this product.”
Alisha Bell, chair of the Wayne County Commission, read a resolution during the event (acknowledging the deadliness of menthol) and told the Michigan Chronicle beforehand that the exciting event was a “unique” way to say goodbye to “Mr. Menthol.”
“It was such an honor to be asked to take part of this,” she said, adding that the anti-menthol campaign is needed. “It’s so addictive, it’s what we smoke. The serious part of this is we need to do something about the addictive nature of Black people and brown people with menthol cigarettes.”
The messages, though delivered at times hilariously, had a very serious undertone and purpose: to remind Black and Brown communities that smoking really does kill.
Tobacco use is a major contributor to the three leading causes of death among African Americans—heart disease, cancer, and stroke, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
For decades, Big Tobacco marketed menthol cigarettes to African Americans by giving them away in neighborhoods, at festivals and other events. While the use of tobacco products is about equal among Blacks and Whites, African Americans are more likely to smoke menthol cigarettes, inhaling the smoke deeper into their lungs and making it more difficult to quit,” said N. Charles Anderson, President of the Detroit Urban League.
While the deceased, Mike “Menthol” Wilson was a made-up person, he represents the very real over 40,000 Black people who die annually from cigarettes.
Wilson was given a proper sendoff with a New Orleans-style second line band, The Gabriel Brass Band, who poured into the streets blasting their instruments (well into the evening) as the hearse made its way around the block nearby as curious onlookers watched on that warm fall evening.
The service was just the beginning.
It kicked of an “aggressive” statewide campaign designed to increase awareness of the health risks and social inequities related to menthol and other flavored tobacco products, according to a press release. The campaign will target southeast Michigan along with urban communities across the state, raising awareness of how the tobacco industry has targeted Black and Brown communities with the most addictive product on the market. The campaign (which kicks off in Detroit) will feature billboard, television, radio, and digital ads that will span the state.
“It’s no coincidence that Black and Brown communities smoke menthol and flavored tobacco products almost exclusively,” said Minou Jones, CEO of MIC. “It’s also no coincidence that more than 72,000 African Americans are diagnosed with tobacco-related cancers each year, and nearly 45,000 African Americans die from smoking related diseases each year.”
Jones said that while the harmful impacts of menthol on Black and Brown communities is no laughing matter, she believes that the levity of this event will help people to understand, and then take action to protect their communities.
“African Americans are the largest users of menthol products in the nation,” Anderson said. “We want people to understand the ‘why’ of this and how Big Tobacco intentionally targeted the Black community.”
