TAJ PATTERSON
Nearly ten years ago, Taj Patterson said his life was forever changed when according to a lawsuit, he was beaten by a group of orthodox Jewish people in Brooklyn known as the Williamsburg Safety Patrol. This year, a judge awarded Patterson $4.5 million after he lost sight in one eye after the attack. But what Patterson really wants is normalcy; since the hate crime, Patterson has tried to move on from the ordeal. “I think what they did was barbaric. I don’t understand how people can treat people that way. Any sane or logical person would hopefully think twice before doing it again,” he said to the New York Daily News. Patterson’s future still looks bright as he isn’t letting the attack stop him from staying the course on his creative goals, which include becoming a stylist, a fashion buyer or personal shopper. —K.M.