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X-WR-CALDESC:As an adoptee who was raised in a loving Caucasian family\, Br
 uce Kafer\, has always known he was adopted and an American Indian. The si
 gnificance of his Native background didn’t become poignantly relevant to h
 im until his adult years. The journey of identity reclamation really began
  when he first asked his mother\, “Why do I look\ndifferent than the other
  kids\, why is my skin darker?”\n\nFollowing the resolution of his alcohol
 ism and the myriads of traumas which ensued due to alcoholic drinking beha
 viors\, the journey then became exponentially more complicated. Nonetheles
 s\, it was the eventual recognition that the Universe offered holistic pos
 sibilities which compelled Bruce to offer a prayer to find his birth mothe
 r. Once reunited with his birth mother\, he recognized she was someone who
 m he looked like. Henceforth\, the journey of reclamation spiritually evol
 ved into a sacred journey of discovery replete with growth\, gratitude\, a
 nd opportunities for profound connectedness.\n\nAbout Bruce\nBruce Kafer i
 s an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and a registered nurse as w
 ell as a doctoral student completing a PhD in Nursing at the Frances Payne
  Bolton School of Nursing\, Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland\,
  OH.\n\nMr. Kafer is a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administ
 ration (SAMHSA) Minority Fellow. In addition\, he is a VA Jonas Foundation
  Scholar whereby recipients of this philanthropic scholarship are by invit
 ation only to nurse leaders.\n\nMr. Kafer has been on staff at the VA Nort
 heast Ohio Healthcare System in Cleveland\, Ohio\, for the past twenty-thr
 ee years. Prior to joining the federal government\, he worked in the priva
 te 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 res
 earch and practice interests include Native American Health as well as Org
 anizational Health and Development.
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DTSTAMP:20260422T055934Z
DESCRIPTION:As an adoptee who was raised in a loving Caucasian family\, Bru
 ce Kafer\, has always known he was adopted and an American Indian. The sig
 nificance of his Native background didn’t become poignantly relevant to hi
 m until his adult years. The journey of identity reclamation really began 
 when he first asked his mother\, “Why do I look\ndifferent than the other 
 kids\, why is my skin darker?”\n\nFollowing the resolution of his alcoholi
 sm and the myriads of traumas which ensued due to alcoholic drinking behav
 iors\, the journey then became exponentially more complicated. Nonetheless
 \, it was the eventual recognition that the Universe offered holistic poss
 ibilities 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 evolv
 ed into a sacred journey of discovery replete with growth\, gratitude\, an
 d opportunities for profound connectedness.\n\nAbout Bruce\nBruce Kafer is
  an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and a registered nurse as we
 ll as a doctoral student completing a PhD in Nursing at the Frances Payne 
 Bolton School of Nursing\, Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland\, 
 OH.\n\nMr. Kafer is a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administr
 ation (SAMHSA) Minority Fellow. In addition\, he is a VA Jonas Foundation 
 Scholar whereby recipients of this philanthropic scholarship are by invita
 tion only to nurse leaders.\n\nMr. Kafer has been on staff at the VA North
 east Ohio Healthcare System in Cleveland\, Ohio\, for the past twenty-thre
 e years. Prior to joining the federal government\, he worked in the privat
 e 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 rese
 arch and practice interests include Native American Health as well as Orga
 nizational Health and Development.
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250929T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250929T210000
LOCATION:
SUMMARY:VIRTUAL - Socio-Cultural Factors in Identity Reclamation For An Ame
 rican Indian with Bruce Kafer
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