American Red Cross

Ethnic Diversity and Blood Donation

Unique donors for unique needs.

Take pride in

Your community

People take pride in many aspects of their lives.  Family, work, friends, religious worship – all

These things give people a great sense of accomplishment, every day.

Have you ever considered the pride

that comes from saving another person’s life?

It’s really very simple to do.  It takes only one hour of your time to help save up to three lives. 

That means that you can take pride in knowing you may have helped a child with sickle cell disease

play with friends, a mother give birth to her child or a grandparent spend more time with loved ones.

Take pride in yourself and your community.  Become a blood donor and make it count!

The importance

of Type O Blood

Although all blood types are important, there is usually a strong demand for type O blood.  Type O-negative blood, in particular, is the universal red blood cell, which means a patient of any blood type can receive type O-negative red blood cells in an emergency situation.

Type O blood is routinely in short supply and in high demand by hospitals.  Ethnic minorities have a higher number of type O and type B blood types than other populations, meaning they have a unique contribution to make.      

Unique Donors

As an ethnic blood donor, you may have the unique ability to help patients with special needs.  Many ethnic minority groups have rare blood types, such as U-negative and Duffy-negative, which are distinctive to their community and serve specialized purposes.

As a result, an ethnic minority patient with sickle cell disease is more likely to find a match among those of the same ethnic background.

It is vital that our blood supply reflect the diversity of our population to best meet the needs of all.  Whether African-American, Asian-American, Native-American, or one of the many other ethnic populations that make up the rich mosaic of our country, your donation matters.

Unique Needs

People of various ethnic backgrounds can sufferr from common debilitating condition related to blood disorders.  These disorders can require regular blood transfusion to alleviate pain and continue to allow the individuals to live.

The best chance of a successful transfusion comes from blood donors of similar ethnic backgrounds, because each ethnicity has specific phenotypes in their blood.  For instance, the best match or Michelle is not the best match for another patient.  Your donation may match a patient with specific needs, like Michelle, or one of the hundreds of other in our community.

Make your donation count

Each time you donate, you are asked to complete a Blood Donor Record (BDR).  This record helps to ensure the safety of our blood supply and secure the confidentiality of our blood donors.  When asked to indicate your ethnicity, kindly respond.  By understanding who our donors are, we can best meet the unique needs of our community.  Make your donation count in more ways than one!

Blood types by ethnic group