Dear John, 

This month at our annual Youth Advocates of the Year Awards Gala, we were thrilled to present our Champion Award to Derrick Johnson, President and CEO of the NAACP, the nation's preeminent civil rights organization.

The NAACP has demonstrated unyielding leadership in working to eliminate menthol cigarettes and end the tobacco industry’s predatory marketing to kids, Black Americans and other communities. Through it all, President Johnson has provided a voice of moral clarity, reminding the Biden Administration of their obligation to improve health and save lives – and urging them to finalize their proposed ban on menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars.

President Johnson delivered an inspiring speech at our event, and we wanted to share it with you:

"Think about the impact that menthol flavored tobacco has had on not only the Black community but on citizens around the globe. In this country alone, over a million people have died in the last 20 years... We must stand united. We must stand firm. And we must speak for the many children who simply cannot speak for themselves."

– Derrick Johnson, NAACP President and CEO