Gordon read between the lies

The Bigger Picture

Big Tobacco's long history of systemic racism is contributing to a public health emergency in the Black community. By design. Learn the impact of tobacco use on Black communities.

Big Tobaccos Actions Speak

Exploitation Today

When given the opportunity to market their products differently, JUUL turned to Big Tobacco’s playbook instead.

Rodney Lucas

Rodney Lucas Discusses Creating Truth's "Read Between The Lies" Spot

Meet Rodney Lucas the director behind “Read Between the Lies.” As he answers questions about his artistic process, this film and telling stories through the lenses of Black voices.

Lincoln Mondy

Black Lives / Black Lungs

Creator Lincoln Mondy had always been curious: Why is menthol seemingly so ingrained in Black culture? Nearly 90% of all Black smokers use menthol -- a percentage more than three times higher than that of white smokers. Plus, a majority of Black smokers (ages 18-34) who use menthol said they’d actually quit smoking altogether if the cigarette flavor were banned. When Mondy started digging through decades worth of tobacco industry internal documents, he discovered that this menthol disparity was no coincidence. Big Tobacco had targeted Black Americans for decades with the sale of menthol products. His short film, “Black Lives / Black Lungs” unpacks their historical and continued exploitation of Black communities.

Victoria Cassinova

truth x Victoria Cassinova

Victoria Cassinova, an LA-based visual artist, has always had a knack for creating. But for Cassinova, art is more than simply a hobby or even a career — it’s her passion, her identity, her freedom, and now, her activism. 

In recent years, she’s made integral contributions to a number of social justice organizations. And now, she’s collaborating with truth on a custom art series, titled ANTI, to highlight harmful marketing tactics used by Big Tobacco to exploit Black communities for profit. Soon, Cassinova’s art will be available for a limited time in the truth merch store —100% of the proceeds will go toward fighting the forces of addiction.