Donate Life North Carolina joins the Association for Multicultural Affairs in Transplantation (AMAT) and the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) to Commemorate Black History Month, 2019
Donate Life NC is joining the Association for Multicultural Affairs in Transplantation (AMAT) in spreading a viral message of action, awareness, hope, and cultural pride throughout February in commemoration of Black History Month.
The hashtags for this year’s toolkit are #DonateLife; #DonateLifeNC; #AMAT; #Becoming; #BecomingBlackHistory
February is a month where we celebrate the rich tradition and history of the vanguard of organ, eye and tissue donation in African-American community. Black History Month is an opportune time to educate and raise awareness about the unique challenges African-Americans face on the transplant waiting list, and the ways in which African-American professional and community leaders have committed to work to conquer these challenges through dedicating their time and professional talents to the transplant and transplant advocacy fields.
This social media campaign creates a vital platform for raising awareness about the realities of donation and transplant among African-Americans. Leaders who are featured in this campaign tirelessly embody the mission to save and heal lives and their stories will inspire others to take a leadership role to strengthen their community. During the month of February, #DonateLife organizations have a unique opportunity to recognize the work of African-Americans who are advancing the collective effort to increase the number of registered African-American organ, eye, and tissue donors.
Profiles featured include Janice Whaley, Chief Executive Officer of Donor Network West and Past President of AMAT; Courtney Waring, Heart Recipient and Volunteer Community Advocate for Donate Life North Carolina; Bobby Howard, Director of the Multicultural Education Program at LifeLink of Georgia and Past President of AMAT; and Curtis Warfield, kidney recipient and Volunteer Community Advocate for the Indiana Donor Network, and Legislative Advocate for the National Kidney Foundation.
Tanise Love, Manager of Multicultural Affairs for Donate Life NC, says, "Support of organ, eye, and tissue donation in the African American community is more widespread than the media attempts to portray. Between leaders and professionals in the field, volunteers, donor families, recipeints and living donors, along wtih partner organizations and hospital transplant teams, we have a strong tribe of African American invididuals coming together to promote the gift of life. But much more can still be done."
Out of North Carolina's 3,513 patients on the waiting list, 1,526 (more than half), are African American.
Throughout the month of February supporters of the #DonateLifeNC #AMAT #Becoming #BecomingBlackHistory campaign are encouraged to tag photos of local African-American community advocates and share them with their followers, as well as with AMAT and Donate Life North Carolina using @donatelifenc.
Along with the #AMAT #Becoming #BecomingBlackHistory social media hashtags, AMAT has developed a special digital toolkit that includes: a customizable press release template, four profiles and two infographics with facts about donation in the African-American community. To access the toolkit, please visit: Black History Month Toolkit 2019
Register today at www.donatelifenc.org/register
About the Association for Multicultural Affairs in Transplantation (AMAT):
AMAT was established in 1991 to address the increasing need for organ, eye, and tissue donors in the multicultural communities while simultaneously offering support, shared expertise, and professional development opportunities for its members as they save and heal lives. AMAT is a self-sustaining, self-governed organization operating solely on voluntary contributions from individuals, corporations, and other affiliated organizations. For more information, visit: www.AMAT1.org.
Media Contacts:
Donate Life NC - Tanise Love, Manager of Multicultural Affairs, tlove@donatelifenc.org
AMAT - Laura Rodriguez-Carbone, Public Relations Committee Chair Phone: (216) 820-4810 Email: laurarc@lifebanc.org