doi:10.7916/0sef-6b81Oral history interview with Andre Johnson, 2021Johnson, Andreoral historiesmixed materialPresidents--United StatesDrug addiction--Treatment--United StatesDrug abuse--Treatment--United StatesSubstance abuse--Treatment--United StatesSubstance abuse treatment facilities--United StatesOpioid abuse--MichiganDiscrimination in medical care--United StatesJohnson, AndreObama, BarackUnited States. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services AdministrationCenter for Substance Abuse Treatment (U.S.)Clemency InitiativeAndre Johnson reflects on his journey through addiction, treatment, and recovery; his founding of the Detroit Recovery Project; and his involvement in community and government efforts to destigmatize addiction, expand access to treatment, and reduce recidivism. Johnson provides details about the founding and development of the Detroit Recovery Project, including the importance of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) Recovery Community Support Grant facility. He also outlines the political and economic crisis in Detroit, and recounts his early impressions of Barack Obama and his expectations for the Obama presidency. Johnson also describes his 2014 appointment to the advisory board of SAMHSA's Centers for Substance Abuse Treatment by Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, and his 2016 receipt of a White House Champions of Change award for his work preventing heroin and prescription drug abuse, increasing treatment access, and supporting Americans in recovery. Also discussed are the importance of vocational job training and family support programs in the recovery process; the long-term, historical trajectory of the opioid epidemic in Detroit and across the United States; racial health disparities and the social determinants of health outcomes; and the effects of the Obama administration's Clemency Initiative