News
Celebrating National Minority Donor Awareness Month
August 1, 2025
August is National Minority Donor Awareness Month
Each August, National Minority Donor Awareness Month highlights the urgent need for organ, eye and tissue donors in multicultural communities and celebrates the lives saved through organ donation. Tennessee Donor Services (TDS) is proud to take part in this national observance by raising awareness, encouraging conversations, and honoring the donors and families who make the gift of life possible.
Why Multicultural donation matters?
Across the United States, 60% of the people waiting for a lifesaving transplant are members of multicultural communities, with 28% of those identifying as Black. In Tennessee, that percentage is even higher.
Did you know?
Stories of resilience, advocacy, and the gift of life
We are proud to honor the stories of donors, recipients, and donation champions in the multicultural communities whose legacies continue to make a difference.
Dr. Hubbard received the gift of more time with her grandchildren…
Adam Cowan – Kidney Recipient
Adam spent nine years on dialysis before receiving his kidney transplant. As he waited for the gift of life, he noticed that dialysis clinics were predominantly filled with patients of color. Now, with his second chance at life, Adam is determined to share the critical need for transplants with his community.
“Organ donors do save lives. Organ donors do make a difference. I’m living proof that it makes a difference. Bottom line – we need to donate for people who look like us.“
– Adam Cowan (Kidney Recipient)
Spencer Calip – Eye Donor
“Spencer was a mother, daughter, sister, and US Marine. She believed in leaving the earth a bit better than she found it.“
Rep. Yusuf Hakeem – Donation Champion
Tennessee State Representative Yusuf Hakeem understands the power that each of us has to make a difference through donation.
“By choosing to become an organ and tissue donor, we can help save lives, bring hope to families and create a legacy of compassion and equity in healthcare. It’s not just a medical decision — it’s a human one.”
– Yusuf Hakeem (Donation Champion)
How you can help
Whether you are Hispanic, Native American, Black, Asian, or multiracial—you can save lives. Here’s how to make an impact:
✅ Register as a donor at www.donatelifetn.org or when you renew your license.
✅ Talk to your family about your decision.
✅ Share your story to inspire others in your community.
✅ Follow and share Tennessee Donor Services and Donate Life Tennessee on social media.
If you are a person of color, you can help save lives in your community. Now is the time to register as a donor and share your decision with others. Tennessee Donor Services encourages everyone to have the conversation and consider registering as a donor. A simple “yes” can bring hope and healing to someone in need. Take a deep dive into more multicultural donor and recipient stories from Tennessee here.
Learn more or register your decision at donatelifetn.org.
About Tennessee Donor Services
An Extraordinary Commitment to Science, Health, and Hope
Tennessee Donor Services a non-profit, organ procurement organization (OPO) dedicated to saving and improving lives by connecting organ and tissue donations to the patients who need them. TDS serves nearly five and a half million people in Tennessee and Virginia.
