My sign
24"x 36"

Saturday October 30, 2004, I drove to downtown Birmingham, Alabama with the above sign that read Www.TobaccoTargetsBlacks.com and parked adjacent to a new car dealership lot.

I walked into this car showroom to use the restroom and discovered that the African-American reception had lost her cousin from Selma, Alabama  to lung cancer from his smoking addiction.

 I returned to my parked car to unload my bicycle when a car salesperson walked up and informed me that he had lost five Indiana family members to tobacco related deaths.

My shirt that I wore to the parade and football event

My shorts had this logo

My sign was a little awkward to carry on my bicycle, but I had designed it to wear around my neck, so it could be on my back as I rode about a half of a mile to the parade.

I parked my bike near the parade crowd, and  started walking up to the crowd while holding my sign as high as I could above my head.

Immediately, people from all around started turning and reading my sign. I tried to stay with as much eye to eye contact as possible. Heads nodding in agreement, thumbs up, and verbal that's the truth came to me as I got in to the parade crowd and started about a two mile slow walk.

The crowd some places 8 to 12 deep from the sidewalks read this sign that cost me about $20.00, and two hours of construction.

I didn't see any other sign or any other event related to what I was doing.

The people seem to be in awe at what I was doing.

Oh, I had on 5 lb. ankle weights on each ankle the entire 3 hours of parade walk.

A couple expressed a verbal "thank-you," and I immediately thanked them back.

My photography addiction caused me to capture a few shots as I walked.

One young lady expressed that my sign should be in the front of the parade.

I held the light weight sign as high as possible, however, my arms would demand occasional rest.

One black man about 32 years-old near the end of the parade, told me that he was a closet smoker. Stated that he had been smoking since he was about 12 years old. He even asked me to pray for him. He shared that he had two children ages 10 and 8.

I invited several to send me their tobacco related stories.

Just a couple of different people seem to be in a protesting spirit of my sign, and commented, "Whites smoke and are targeted also." I didn't respond to these comments.

I am anxious to see if the Birmingham News newspaper gives an estimated crowd attendance. I estimate about 120,000.

I left the winding down parade on my bicycle about 12:15 PM in route to Birmingham's Legion Field Football field for the Classic Bowl football game between Alabama State and Alabama A&M.

My two and half mile bike ride was a little tougher as the wind was harassing my sign that I was trying to hold as I was in the flow of the after parade traffic that was rushing to Legion Field for the 3:00 PM football game between Alabama State University and Alabama A&M.

I got to the stadium and immediately encountered a policeman that I had met back in April while doing my "I Will Never Use Tobacco," display on a beautiful Saturday at Five Points West
( http://iwillneverusetobacco.com/FivePointsWestAlabama.htm ) which was just a few minutes away. He commented that I had a good memory to remember him. He and another policeman gave me a friendly OK to ride my bike around the stadium.

I rode around the gates off the stadium for about an hour and half.

Hundreds and hundreds of RV's and tent with grilling and tailgate party taking place at this time.

Seemed that the "parade awe" that my sign caught had been displaced by an under toe of friendliness and familiarity from this sweet-spirited 99% African-American crowd of over 80k.

As the crowd who circled Legion Field Football Stadium started swelling, I decided to leave out of respect of not interrupting the spirit of the crowd and event.

I will treasure this day forever!

Mike Sawyer

Sunday October 31, at the restaurant for lunch my server immediately said, "I saw you yesterday at the parade with your sign."

I asked this young African-American woman, "What did the sign say?"

Let's see, "Tobacco, (hesitated) Targets Blacks."

See her picture below:

Mike's shirt has TobaccoDeath.com on front and back

Please return Home Tobacco-Free