Peter Bell Premier Educator of the Year

I entered the addictions profession in the 1980s when crack cocaine had a strong hold on the United States. In the 1980s and 1990s over one million African Americans were incarcerated for low-level, drug-related offenses. The addictions profession struggled to figure out how to provide culturally responsive services for African Americans with substance use disorders. There emerged a solo voice from Minneapolis, Minnesota, that of Peter Bell, who authored the books, Chemical Dependency and The African American, The Black Alcoholic, and Growing Up Black and Proud. Peter's books were required readings for individuals studying to become certified addictions professionals. Peter was the first educator to travel the entire country delivering impactful presentations on culturally responsive treatment for African Americans with substance use disorders.

Because of Peter's groundbreaking and pioneering work as an addictions educator, the Museum of African American Addictions, Treatment and Recovery's Awards Committee unanimously decided to name The Premier Educator of the Year Award in honor of Peter Bell.

The 2026 recipients of the Peter Bell Premier Educator of the Year Award are Dr. LaVelle Hendricks and Bill Green. Scroll Down to learn about their remarkable work.

Dr. LaVelle Hendricks is a professor and former Department Chair of the Counseling Department of East Texas A & M University. An innovative educator, Dr. Hendricks has taken students on educational and service trips throughout the world. He has had a dedicated and stellar career as a college educator focused on ensuring that graduates are prepared to provide culturally responsive services. His work in communities provides cutting-edge trainings and consultations that bridge the gap between academia, African American and other underserved communities. Dr Hendricks is also a prolific writer. He is author of the groundbreaking book, History of Crack Cocaine in America.

Bill Green has had a stellar career as an addictions counselor, administrator, national consultant, and trainer. His greatest impact was in his role as an addictions educator in the courses he taught at Northeastern Illinois University School of Inner-City Studies, the intellectual space where the Million Man March was planned. At Northeastern, Bill helped prepare thousands of African Americans to become certified addictions counselors, simultaneously preparing them to do the work from an Afrocentric lens. His teaching style is an integration of his vast knowledge of addictions treatment and recovery, history, philosophy, and his talent as a spellbinding storyteller. Bill is author of the recovery memoir, Dysfunctional by Design: The Rebirth of Cultural Survivors.