National Minority Donor Awareness Week

National Minority Donor Awareness Week originated in 1996 through the National Minority Organ Tissue Transplant Education Program (MOTTEP), founded by transplant surgeon Dr. Clive O. Callender. The observance was created to address serious racial and ethnic disparities in organ donation and transplantation in the United States. Although people from minority communities experience conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease that can lead to organ failure at disproportionate rates, they have historically been underrepresented among registered donors. The week therefore combined public education with an appeal for greater participation in donation.

Held during a week in August, the observance focuses especially on African American, Hispanic and Latino, Asian American and Pacific Islander, American Indian, and Alaska Native communities. Its organizers and supporters work to correct misconceptions about donation, explain how the registration process operates, and encourage families to discuss their wishes. The campaign also emphasizes that donation decisions are made according to medical compatibility and urgency—not social status, wealth, race, or ethnicity.

Over time, National Minority Donor Awareness Week developed from a primarily organ-donation campaign into a broader effort addressing organ, eye, and tissue donation and the importance of living donation where appropriate. Outreach has increasingly involved transplant centers, community organizations, faith communities, health professionals, and donor-registration programs. These partnerships have helped bring information into settings where cultural beliefs, mistrust of medical institutions, language differences, and limited access to health care can otherwise discourage participation.

The observance has cultural significance because it links donation with community responsibility, family conversation, and the preservation of life across generations. It also draws attention to the continuing need for more minority donors: while organs can be transplanted across racial and ethnic groups, a more diverse donor pool can improve the likelihood of finding suitable matches, particularly for patients seeking kidneys and other organs. National Minority Donor Awareness Week consequently serves both as a remembrance of donors and recipients and as an ongoing call for informed, voluntary participation in donation.