Overcoming Addiction, Professor Tackles Perils American Indians Face

Alan Schwarz of The New York Times profiles David A. Patterson, an assistant professor at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. A former suicidal drug addict, Patterson transformed his life by returning to his Cherokee roots, and he has committed to helping other American Indians do the same. One of his students, Lindsay Belone, a Navajo from New Mexico, told Schwarz: “He’s brought to the classroom a lot of American Indian spirituality and social justice issues — honoring mother earth and our ancestors … He’s definitely a leader in Indian country who I can look up to.”

Read at The New York Times

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