LifeShare will be on the Grambling State University campus spreading awareness about blood plasma transfers and giving students the opportunity to donate blood. The organization will be in front of the Favrot Student Union on Thursday, March 12.
They have collectively teamed up with GSU’s National Pan-Hellenic Council and will be promoting this event from 11a.m. until 4 p.m.
Getting African-Americans to donate blood is very important to LifeShare, because there are certain types of blood that can only be found within their ethnicity.
In honor of Black History Month, Life Share also wanted to give respect to a key figure in blood plasma science, Dr. Charles Drew. Drew was an American physician, and medical researcher.
He researched the field of blood transfusions, developing improved techniques for blood storage, and applied his expert knowledge to developing large-scale blood banks early in World War II. This allowed medics to save thousands of lives of the allied forces.
The research and development aspect of his blood storage work is disputed. As the most prominent African American in the field, Drew protested against the practice of segregation in the donation of blood, as it lacked scientific foundation, an action which cost him his job.
When minorities register as donors, it increases the likelihood that matches can be found. One reason for this is their blood type. Because certain blood types are more common in ethnic populations, increasing the number of minority donors can increase the frequency of minority transplants.