ICYMI: Latino Leader Blasts Big Tobacco for Publishing Op-Ed in His Name

NEW YORK, NY (03/24/2023) (readMedia)-- Today, Frankie Miranda, president and CEO of Hispanic Federation, blasted Big Tobacco in the Daily News for publishing an op-ed in his name without his permission. In fact, Miranda explained in his own op-ed, he and the federation are actually supportive of a proposed ban on flavored tobacco opposed by the industry.

"If you read the Daily News online on Saturday or Sunday, you may have seen an op-ed from me opposing Gov. Hochul's proposed ban on flavored tobacco products, including menthol," Miranda wrote. "You may have been surprised by the stance taken in that op-ed. In fact, no one was more surprised than I was. That's because I didn't write a word of it. It seems the pro-tobacco lobby and its public relations firms have stooped to new lows - who knew that was even possible? - by falsely attributing support for their toxic policies to the very people who most oppose them."

As civil rights leaders like NYS NAACP President Hazel Dukes have warned, Big Tobacco is trying to prevent a ban on dangerously addictive menthol cigarettes and other flavored tobacco products by lying to and deceiving New Yorkers. The proposed ban was endorsed by the Daily News Editorial Board this week.

For generations, Big Tobacco has aggressively marketed flavored tobacco products to underage users and communities of color, creating disproportionately negative health outcomes for African-Americans in particular. In New York State, menthol cigarettes are used by over half of all adult smokers (52%). 86% of Black smokers and 72% of Hispanic smokers smoke menthols. Now 62% of Americans support a ban on menthol, including two-thirds of Black Americans. Half of young people (ages 12-17) who had ever tried smoking start with menthol cigarettes. In 2021, 41.1% of high school smokers reported using menthol cigarettes.

The full op-ed written by Miranda today is below.

Daily News: Hochul's budget helps N.Y. Latinos: Menthol ban, housing, mental health and education plans should all pass

By Frankie Miranda

New York Daily News

If you read the Daily News online on Saturday or Sunday, you may have seen an op-ed from me opposing Gov. Hochul's proposed ban on flavored tobacco products, including menthol. You may have been surprised by the stance taken in that op-ed. In fact, no one was more surprised than I was. That's because I didn't write a word of it. It seems the pro-tobacco lobby and its public relations firms have stooped to new lows - who knew that was even possible? - by falsely attributing support for their toxic policies to the very people who most oppose them.

Let me be clear, as president and CEO of Hispanic Federation, I have been unequivocal in supporting the governor's plan to outlaw flavored tobacco products. Just last month, I joined with dozens of other organizations to call on the state Senate and the Assembly to support her proposal.

The stakes couldn't be higher. As research shows, flavored tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes, are marketing tools designed to hook a new generation of smokers, especially communities of color. The governor understands this, and her proposal is the most far-reaching attempt to stop the industry from getting our young people addicted to nicotine in our state's history. Hochul's anti-tobacco effort is just one piece of her Fiscal Year 2024 Executive Budget proposal that will help build stronger and healthier Latino communities across New York State.

Earlier this month, I led a group of Hispanic Federation member agencies to meet face-to-face with the governor so that she could hear directly from the organizations that are on the frontlines confronting the most important issues facing Latino communities. She heard about the impact of the housing crisis in our communities, including the reality that far too many of our families are being priced out of their neighborhoods, forced to crowd into small apartments, and unable to find safe, quality and affordable housing.

These challenges are one of the reasons we support the New York Housing Compact, the governor's plan to build more than 800,000 units of housing in the state in the next decade. In a state where more than half of Latino households are burdened by rent, the governor's plan would tackle exclusionary zoning housing policies that push Latino families out of the city, allowing members of our community to afford to live and raise their families where they grew up. All of this will strengthen communities where housing costs have been a drag on economic growth.

At the same meeting, Hochul heard from our member agencies about the need to invest more in mental health services for our children. The disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Latino communities has resulted in greater reports of depression, anxiety, and stress. She spoke with us about the rising rates of suicide among young Latinas and listened to the incredible work our member agencies have been doing to stem the tide of self-harm. Together, we agreed that the $30 million the governor has allocated in this year's budget to expand mental health services in our schools will be a lifeline to thousands of children struggling right now.

Finally, we talked about the importance of helping students recover from the significant learning loss that occurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We know from school-level data that student scores in Math and English Language Arts have dropped significantly and that students need quality teachers in the classroom to help them get back on track. This is especially true for the thousands of students who are not native English speakers. For them, having a teacher who is bilingual and bicultural can make all the difference between staying in school and dropping out; between academic success and failure.

Last year, Hochul's administration launched the Empire State Teacher Residency Program to grow the pipeline of qualified multilingual teachers in our schools, and this year she has included $30 million in her budget proposal to continue it. We think this initiative is one of the most important educational projects in the state and deserves the support of our leaders in Albany, especially as we welcome asylum seeking families, our new New Yorkers, into our school system.

There are many barriers our state has yet to tackle, but this budget plan offered by the governor contains strong, progressive policies that will empower countless Latino families across New York. We often talk about the importance of an equitable, post-pandemic recovery. This budget moves us closer to achieving that goal and no amount of dirty tricks will stem our unity and forward progress.

Miranda is the president and CEO of Hispanic Federation.