As an adoptee who was raised in a loving Caucasian family, Bruce Kafer, has always known he was adopted and an American Indian. The significance of his Native background didn’t become poignantly relevant to him until his adult years. The journey of identity reclamation really began when he first asked his mother, “Why do I look
different than the other kids, why is my skin darker?”

Following the resolution of his alcoholism and the myriads of traumas which ensued due to alcoholic drinking behaviors, the journey then became exponentially more complicated. Nonetheless, it was the eventual recognition that the Universe offered holistic possibilities which compelled Bruce to offer a prayer to find his birth mother. Once reunited with his birth mother, he recognized she was someone whom he looked like. Henceforth, the journey of reclamation spiritually evolved into a sacred journey of discovery replete with growth, gratitude, and opportunities for profound connectedness.

About Bruce
Bruce Kafer is an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and a registered nurse as well as a doctoral student completing a PhD in Nursing at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH.

Mr. Kafer is a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Minority Fellow. In addition, he is a VA Jonas Foundation Scholar whereby recipients of this philanthropic scholarship are by invitation only to nurse leaders.

Mr. Kafer has been on staff at the VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System in Cleveland, Ohio, for the past twenty-three years. Prior to joining the federal government, he worked in the private sector and for non-profit agencies in substance abuse and mental health programs. Mr. Kafer remains a stalwart advocate for indigenous people and is a principal advocate for military veterans and their families. His research and practice interests include Native American Health as well as Organizational Health and Development.