Each February, the nation and the American Red Cross celebrate Black History Month. All this month here on the Red Cross Philly blog we honor our Black colleagues that are part of our local Red Cross team. We invited them to be guest bloggers to share their thoughts and stories as proud Red Crossers that make up our diverse team here in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Please note, the views expressed in this blog post are of the author and not necessarily those of the American Red Cross. To learn more about Diversity and Inclusion values at the Red Cross, please visit https://www.redcross.org/about-us/who-we-are/governance/corporate-diversity.html.

Today’s blog is written by Tracey Howard, American Red Cross volunteer.

My journey of service with the American Red Cross began in September of 2017, when one of my sorority sisters called and asked for my assistance in pulling together a pool of volunteers to manage phone calls for the Hurricane Harvey Disaster Relief Telethon.

During the telethon, I was asked about furthering my service.  I jumped at the opportunity to serve individually, but also was eager to explore how my chapter, the Valley Forge Alumnae Chapter (VFAC) of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., could partner with the American Red Cross.

Since participating at that NBC10 telethon, I’ve served as a blood donor ambassador, organized blood drives, assisted with the Sound the Alarm program, The Pillowcase Project, volunteer recruitment events and worked as a warehouse supply assistant. 

During a volunteer workshop, the speaker discussed the need for more minority participation in blood services.  I decided to make it my mission to increase minority participation through my constant cheerleading about the magnificent work of the American Red Cross. I tell firsthand accounts of how the American Red Cross assisted my friends who suffered loss because of a fire, friends affected by Hurricane Katrina, and friends who needed multiple transfusions.

When I was in my early teens, I lost a friend to Sickle Cell Disease, which impacts predominately Black men and women. The idea of a young person dying was a complex notion. It really hurt to see another friend miss out on the “normal” childhood fun because he was said “to be sick” and unable to participate in certain activities.

That young man died in his sleep at college at age 19. In 2019, another friend’s child, in her 20s, suddenly died of Sickle Cell Disease. The loss of friends to Sickle Cell Disease has fueled my desire to increase minority blood donor participation. It’s comforting to know that the American Red Cross implements a “blue tag” for blood donations that benefit patients with Sickle Cell Disease. 

The American Red Cross has been a vehicle for me to make a difference in the community and to share God’s gifts: sweat equity, creativity, and sisterly love. This organization is an American institution helping others in critical times.  Whether a person catches the “bug” to serve on their team of dynamic volunteers, or decides to remain a one-person army, everyone can make a difference.

If an individual decides to donate blood, his/her donation can save up to three lives.  So, every 56 days, an individual can make a dramatic impact on saving others by pledging to be a steadfast blood donor. As the quote goes, “Changing the entire world is a daunting task, but changing one person’s world is realistic and possible every day.”

This is the work of the American Red Cross.

Sickle cell disease is an inherited condition that causes red blood cells to be hard and crescent-shaped, making it difficult for blood to flow smoothly and carry oxygen to the rest of the body. In the U.S., about 100,000 people of various racial and ethnic backgrounds, approximately 90 percent of whom are of African descent, are living with sickle cell disease. Regular blood transfusions are often used as a critical treatment for sickle cell patients, and blood donated by someone with a similar ethnicity is less likely to cause complications. To learn more, visit redcrossblood.org/donate-blood/blood-types/diversity/sicklecell.html.

Main image description: Photo of Tracey Howard