Tight 4 Life ambassador Zwatie Kiamani Davis helps Detroiters quit smoking

Zwatie Kiamani Davis, a native of Detroit, is not just a master barber known for his precision cuts that have graced the heads of celebrities like Adina Howard and Big Mike; he’s a pillar in his community. With a career spanning over 42 years, Davis has become a trusted figure in the “What Up Doe?” community of Detroit, where his influence extends beyond the barbershop. A passionate advocate for Black health, Davis is using his platform to bring awareness to the dangers of tobacco use. Whether he’s cutting hair, teaching ballroom and Latin hustle dance, or engaging with his clients on a personal level, Davis is committed to positively impacting the health and well-being of his community.

Here, he talks to rolling out publisher Munson Steed about his mission and career.

Why are you involved in Tight 4 Life? And how does it personally touch you?

I got involved with this through a good friend of mine, Minou Jones, and it fit right in because I’m actually witnessing a situation happening surrounding tobacco with clients of mine and personal people, friends of mine, even my brothers. … With this program, I might be able to actually get some help to the people that need it, as far as quitting tobacco and restoring their health.

We now have generations of smokers. When you mention “smoking,” young people may not think vaping is included. What is your experience, and should parents and loved ones caution young people about all forms of smoking?

The older generation is probably the only generation that’s actually still using tobacco; as you know, tobacco is a product itself. But in this generation, the younger generations are now having to deal with nicotine and vaping, and it has its major health risks as well that I’m watching occur with clients and people in the dance community. So, it’s a generational thing, but it’s still tobacco. It’s still the detriment that tobacco presents. This program can help us hit all ages, whether it’s the older [generation] that is still using tobacco products directly or whether it’s the younger generation that is vaping.

Why is Tight 4 Life partnering with individuals like you?

I believe that Tight 4 Life believes that we, as barbers, are a staple in the community. It’s somewhere that everyone has to go to, at least the men and the women, because this is a [hair] stylist place, as well. They have to come to us. It’s a place where they really talk to us. We’re like almost their psychologists, so to speak. They’re able to talk in-depth about things. I think the idea behind linking the program with us is because [they] trust someone that they already confide in, in the hair community, as well as with me, in the dance community. We’re a tight-knit group of people, and I believe that when you have someone that is close to you telling you about something that can help you or help you stop smoking, it’s much different than just someone passing by. So, I believe the whole idea was to tie in the direct connection that we have with most of our clients and the people that we interact with.

What’s the typical reaction when you try to help someone? 

Well, the experience I had yesterday was one where I finally got to see my client Dave. You remember me talking about Dave? It was a heartfelt thing. He had tears in his eyes. He was very happy that I cared and that this was available. Now, I hope he takes heed to it because Dave is stubborn, but I could tell that the care he saw that I had for him was in his eyes. I’m hoping that he goes ahead and takes heed to it. It looks like he would, but like I said, Dave is stubborn. When someone cares and presents this to you, it’s a little more heartfelt, and that’s what I experienced directly yesterday.

How important is Tight 4 Life — a free program with trusted voices giving people access to information and services that the community hadn’t often found in a barbershop?

You find a lot of things in a barbershop. Let me tell you that right there. But for them to find that this is available and to find it coming from someone who they know cares, and it’s free [is meaningful]. Lots of times, people are discouraged from quitting just because they know it will cost them a lot. [This program being] free is definitely going to be one of the things that really help people say, “You know, what have I got to lose?” They’ve been trying this thing for 45 years, 20 years, 15 years, however long they’ve been plagued by tobacco use. The free part is really going to help them, and then coming from someone who cares, it’s a win-win situation. 

What do you see other than those who might not consider what they’re doing smoking, but they’re actually utilizing? Maybe it’s the tobacco leaf, or they’re using some type of flavored vape tool, and they don’t consider that smoking. What are you seeing?

I’ve talked to vapers, and vapers have said that they catch themselves having to sit down and getting woozy, and have to catch their breath and feeling heaviness. All of that is [a sign] of something that you’re doing wrong. So, the younger generation needs to take heed to even what they’re feeling, things that they witness themselves instead of trying to make a comparison of tobacco versus what they’re doing. That’s not a good comparison. You’re actually just in another bracket of something maybe worse.

What is your message to our community about tightening up our health?

You only get one body, man, and you gotta figure out what’s best for that body. We don’t even have to talk about tobacco. You can talk about food. You could talk about anything. Any overindulgence in anything can be detrimental to you. So, I would say to the community, whether it’s smoking, whether it’s the way you eat, whether it’s the lack of exercise, whatever it is, we need to take these bodies and take them very seriously, especially if you want to make it to 100 years old, which is a goal of mine. I just want to tag a hundred. That’s a goal, but I can’t do that if I don’t take care of my body… You have to be very serious about your body. So, what I would say is, just think about what you know the truth to be as far as health. We know smoking tobacco is not healthy. We know that overindulging in food is not healthy. We know that eating the wrong foods…is not healthy. Let’s just be cognizant of that. Yes, there are habits that are hard to break, but let’s work on those habits. Nobody’s perfect, and we are in the flesh. So, the bottom line is to put that effort into working on your health from whatever aspect or spectrum you’re coming from.