Tuesday, June 12, 2012 By Kyle Whelihan, Contributing Writer
Members of the Peer Leaders protest the tobacco companies' targeting of children. - Contributed photo from Peer Leaders
Advertising
The ever-bold South Hadley Peer Leaders were part of history in the making in Boston on March 21st, 2012 as they joined in the activities of the 84 Organization’s “Kick-Butts Day,” dedicated to targeting large tobacco companies’ efforts to advertise their products and make them easily available to youth.
Seniors Sophia Weinstein, Shane Wiley, Kyle Whelihan, Hannah Spring, Jessica Stefanowicz, and Junior Jonathon Melhorn left South Hadley High School and arrived in Boston just after sunrise on Wednesday, March 21st, accompanied by the Head of the Peer Leaders, Ms. Karen Walsh Pio. They were dropped off at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul across the street from the Boston Common, where they were greeted by three hundred other students from dozens of high schools across Massachusetts, all eager to make their objections against the intentions of big tobacco companies known.
“It really showed how many students across Massachusetts were fighting for the cause,” says Shane Wiley.
The day began in the main hall of the church, where the hundreds of students were greeted by leaders of the 84 Organization—a state-wide movement representing the 84% of Massachusetts youth who choose not to use or endorse tobacco products—who spoke to them about their reason for being there: to make their voices heard and to express their opinions against the terrors of tobacco companies. They were briefed on their agenda for the day, which included a rally across the Boston Common and a visit to many of the Massachusetts legislators in the Boston State House. They were instructed on how to properly address a state legislator when showing up to their office unannounced, and were given specific factual information regarding the terrible methods tobacco companies use to target youth to aid their presentations. They were then taught several chants to yell during the rally.
The students were soon brought outside onto the steps of the church to be photographed, and each was given a sign that read phrases such as, “DOWN with Big Tobacco’s tricks!” or “Tobacco should NOT be cheaper than chips!” From there, they marched in a thick crowd from the church, down the street, across the large, green Boston Common, and onto the steps outside the Boston State House. One of the South Hadley Peer Leaders, Kyle Whelihan, volunteered to lead the rallying students in their chants by means of a megaphone provided to him by one of the movement leaders, and he walked ahead of them yelling, “What do we want? Youth power! When do we want it? Right now!” among other phrases that were boomingly echoed back to him, all as onlookers watched with great interest and enthusiasm.
“[It]… brought such a positive energy to the campaign against big tobacco companies,” recalls Hannah Spring.
Once at the State House, the students broke off into groups and spread throughout the many hallways of the building, seeking out their respectively assigned legislators to plead their cases regarding tobacco companies’ tricks. The South Hadley Peer Leaders first visited the office of State Representative John Scibak. Scibak listened intently to the kids as they expressed their opinions against the dangers of tobacco use and the concerns they had with making tobacco so available—and cheap—to youth. He made it very clear to them that he has always shared these thoughts on the matter, and that he even endorsed a tax on tobacco products proposed by Governor Deval Patrick earlier in the year that made them more expensive. He then told the students to find the other legislators that they planned to speak with that day, plead their cases once again, and upon returning to his office, he would give them a tour of the State House.
The other legislators on the students’ list were not available to speak with, and after giving their statements to the legislators’ aids, the students returned to Scibak’s office, where he made good on his promise and gave them a tour of the private sections of the State House. He showed them the various rooms where the House of Representatives and Senators met, and even took them out onto the building’s front balcony, a rare treat.
The activities of the day concluded after lunch with a gathering of all the students in one of the large halls of the State House, where the U.S. Surgeon General, Regina Benjamin, surrounded by dozens of flashing cameras and news reporters, gave a rousing speech in support of the students’ efforts. She spoke of the dangers of tobacco use among the citizens of Massachusetts, especially the younger generations who are drawn in by the tobacco products’ delicious various flavors, bright colors, and low prices. She ended by saying that efforts need only be furthered in the future, and that together, tobacco companies and their nasty tricks can and will be stopped.
The day was a rousing success in terms of its goals, from the loud, powerful rally across the Boston Common to the many visits with State Legislators, and especially effective with the publicity it drew from across the state. Says Senior Kyle Whelihan, “We couldn’t have been more inspired by the passion and dedication we witnessed that day. It really opened our eyes to the problems at hand regarding the use of tobacco products by the youth of Massachusetts, and gave us even more incentive to want to kick tobacco companies in the butt!”