For the last several years, anti-tobacco industry groups and individuals have come together to organize a day of action and advocacy in Richmond, Virginia at the Philip Morris USA’s annual shareholder meeting in May of each year. In 2020 and 2021, due to travel restrictions around COVID-19, we decided to hold a virtual (online) week or activities to highlight tobacco industry lies and how to counter them. This included virtual programming – through social media, training webinars, at-home activities – for fostering youth engagement and mobilizing against the tobacco industry!
In 2022, Philip Morris USA continued to hold their meeting virtually. As a result, we offered virtual training and programming for this event. We also organized coordinated local in-person activities that corresponded with the shareholders meeting involving several states. In 2023, we are planning to return to Richmond for activities around the shareholders meeting.