Q&A: How youth activists are pressuring Walgreens to stop selling tobacco

Todd: They’re all raising awareness in different pockets of people in the U.S. I think that the zombie protest hit people who aren’t normally thinking about corporate decision-making. A lot of the people who were stopping and asking what we were doing were young people. I think that’s important for tobacco use prevention, but it’s also important because these are future leaders.

Whenever we show up to something like a shareholders meeting, the demographics of the people are on a complete opposite end of the spectrum from the type of people that were interested in us on the street for the zombie protest. It’s important that we stay active in all these types of ways, because all these different types of people play a role in tobacco use — whether it’s providing people with the products, marketing the products or deciding to use the products.

Fitzgerald: With pharmacies in general, they’re selling health and wellness — and we know, more than anybody, that tobacco just doesn’t fit that scene. I was there not only on behalf of myself, as an activist and as a customer, but also on behalf of the several thousands of youth and young adults around the country who are in support of what we’re doing. I think making waves is one of the best ways to start ultimately making change.

Duenas: Persistence is necessary to continuously keep this issue at the forefront of people's minds. No effort made toward the cause goes without impact, so I feel like if we’re persistent with this annually, we can get more of a response that we want.

This issue has been around for generations, and if not for the efforts of activists it'll continue to be a deadly problem for generations to come. I know what we’re doing is going to benefit everybody in the long run.