Ms. Davina Thomas

Tell me a little about yourself.
My name is Davina Thomas. I’m 16 years old. I’m in 10th grade. I'm part of the Tachi Yokuts Tribe and I am Mexican. My birthday is on Christmas and my favorite hobby is playing softball. I grew up on the Santa Rosa Rancheria located in Lemoore, CA. I have 7 brothers.

Can you tell me one thing that stood out to you from the Red Medicine Youth Tobacco Learning Collaboratives?
One thing that stood out to me was that the Red Medicine Project repeatedly showed up for the youth and is there for them. I really like that. I really liked the session on traditional tobacco and enjoyed all the knowledge you taught us about it.

What do you think about commercial tobacco?
It is bad for your health and for the people around you. I see people smoking and vaping everywhere. For example, at school kids vape in the bathrooms. The bathrooms smell like weed and like a sweet flavor.

If you had to share one thing with other youth about the YTLC session topics, what would it be?
To not do it [smoke or vape]. It could turn into a bad outcome in the end because you could get addicted. If you get addicted, it could lead into your adult life, and then your adult life could go bad.

What inspired you to create a presentation on the environmental harms of cigarette butts?
What inspired me was my geography teacher, Miss Panier, at my school. Every year, they have this globalization project and we have to present it to everybody. My globalization project was on my research on cigarette butts. I decided to do my project on this topic because the Red Medicine Project came to one of our Helping Our Own People Succeed ("HOOPS") meetings and did a presentation on cigarette butts and how they pollute the whole world. One thing that stood out to me was how they can harm animals. Vapes can get into the water and negatively affect the animals in the ocean. Cigarette butts and vapes don't get picked up from the ground or they’re not disposed of in the correct way. A lot of them don’t end up in the trash.

What are some of the differences between the Tachi Tribe's use of traditional tobacco vs what you learned in the YTLC about commercial tobacco?
We give traditional tobacco to our elders. For example, if we wanted beadwork done, we would gift them traditional tobacco. Traditional tobacco is used for the ceremonies that we do. Commercial tobacco, the bad tobacco, is very different from traditional tobacco because if you use commercial tobacco it can harm you – physically, environmentally, and even the people around you.

Any final thoughts?
Stay away from bad things in life such as smoking, vaping, and drinking.

Ms. Thomas's interview is shared courtesy of the Red Medicine Project. TRDRP is honored to amplify the voices of members of communities who are disproportionately impacted by commercial tobacco in California.  The views expressed by these individuals are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of the University of California, nor of TRDRP.