Keep Tobacco Sacred
Tuesday, October 6, 2026
Virtual screening of the film Keep Tobacco Sacred, part of the Black Lives / Black Lungs trilogy, followed by a Q&A with Director Lincoln Mondy and CoCo (Nicole) Villaluz, a Hidatsa/Assiniboine/Chamoru Indigenous community leader and the film’s host.
Tuesday, October 6, 2026
Virtual screening of the film Keep Tobacco Sacred, part of the Black Lives / Black Lungs trilogy, followed by a Q&A with Director Lincoln Mondy and CoCo (Nicole) Villaluz, a Hidatsa/Assiniboine/Chamoru Indigenous community leader and the film’s host.
About the Event
"Tobacco was not born a commodity. It was stolen and transformed."
Keep Tobacco Sacred explores the history of traditional tobacco and the corporate theft that helped shape colonization, the Transatlantic Slave Trade and America’s commercial tobacco industry.
Through the voices of Indigenous elders, researchers and young people, the film examines the impact of colonial violence on cultural practices and the ongoing work of reclamation. The film draws a clear distinction between sacred use and commercial exploitation and highlights the importance of restoring traditional practices for future generations.
Following the screening, Lincoln Mondy and CoCo Villaluz discussed the film, traditional tobacco and the ongoing work to restore Indigenous cultural lifeways. Attendees had an opportunity to ask questions and engage in conversation. The discussion was moderated by indigenous leader Clinton Isham, Tribal Relations Consultant at Americans for Nonsmokers Rights Foundation.
Director’s Statement
“This is not a neutral film. Keep Tobacco Sacred refuses the lie that all tobacco is the same. It draws a clear line between sacred use and commercial exploitation, between culture and addiction, between survival and extraction.”
— Lincoln Mondy, Director, Keep Tobacco Sacred
About the Guests
Hidatsa/Assiniboine/Chamoru
CoCo has been working in community mobilization, education and policy for the past 20 years. Her focus includes the restoration of traditional tobacco and cultural lifeways. One of her recent accomplishments was receiving the 2020 Minnesota Public Health Association’s Paul and Sheila Wellstone Public Health Achievement Award. CoCo is inspired by her ancestors to carry on their teachings for her children. In her free time, she loves to hike, visit and dance with her family.
Lincoln Mondy is the filmmaker behind Black Lives / Black Lungs (2017) and The Journey of a Stolen Leaf (2023). He designs campaigns, visuals and narratives advancing the health and power of the communities he holds sacred. With deep expertise in public health, reproductive justice, and youth organizing, Lincoln leverages his creativity and instincts to inspire participation at scale. A native Texan, he graduated from The George Washington University.
Clinton Isham, a Tribal citizen of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe, is a nationally recognized leader in Tribal public health and smoke-free policy. Since 2019, he has served as the Tribal Relations Consultant for the American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation (ANRF), where he plays a pivotal role in advancing smoke-free policies and strengthening Tribal sovereignty through public health advocacy.
At ANRF, Clinton leads a comprehensive national smoke-free initiative titled the Reclaim Sacred Tobacco Coalition. His work is defined by strategic relationship-building, media development and coalition organizing that spans Tribal governments, industry partners, and public health networks. He is known for producing culturally grounded communications, resources and policy tools that honor the sacred role of traditional tobacco while advancing the end of commercial tobacco harms in Indian Country.
Last updated Oct. 6, 2026