National Minority Donor Awareness Month is celebrated throughout the month of August. The goal of this annual observance is to increase organ donor registrations among communities of color, which make up nearly 60 percent of the more than 100,000 people on the national waitlist for life-saving organ transplants and to honor those have been organ and tissue donors.

Education is so important, especially among communities of color, where myths and misconceptions are more prevalent.

There are more than 5,000 men, women and children on the waitlist in Gift of Life Donor Program’s region, which includes the eastern half of Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and Delaware.

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Resources:

• Read and Watch Multicultural Stories
• 2023 National Minority Donor Awareness Month Flyers
• 2023 National Minority Donor Awareness Month Social Media Resources
  • Click the above link to download sample social posts and social media graphics in different sizes, formats and languages
• 2023 National Minority Donor Awareness Month Infographic

To arrange programs or speakers and get involved with National Minority Donor Awareness Month, contact the Gift of Life community outreach team at communityoutreach@donors1.org.

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Multicultural Communities in Donation and Transplantation…

• Make up 60% of people currently on the U.S. transplant waiting list.
• Make up 49% of people who received organ transplants in 2022.
• Make up 33% of deceased and living organ donors in 2022.

Organ Donation among African Americans

• 28% of people waiting for life-saving organ transplants in the nation are African American.
• In 2021, more than 15% of the organ donors in Gift of Life’s region were African American.
• In 2022, 22% of organ transplant recipients nationally were African American.
• African Americans are three times to four times more likely to have kidney failure than Caucasians.

Organ Donation among Hispanics/Latinos

• 21% of people waiting for life-saving organ transplants in the nation are Hispanic/Latino.
• In 2021, 12% of the organ donors in Gift of Life’s region were Hispanic/Latino.
• In 2022, 18% of organ transplant recipients nationally were Hispanic/Latino.

Organ Donation among Asian/Pacific Islander population

• 9% of people waiting for life-saving organ transplants in the nation are Asian/Pacific Islander.
• In 2021, 3% of organ donors nationally were Asian/Pacific Islander.
• In 2022, 6% of organ transplant recipients nationally were Asian/Pacific Islander.

*All data from the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network or National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases