The American Red Cross Pays Tribute to Key African-Americans
The American Red Cross recognizes the significant contributions by people of African-American descent to its organization.
The efforts of the American Red Cross founder Clara Barton to assist African-American Soldiers during the Civil War is well known, particularly her assistance to the all black Massachusetts 54th Regiment founded by former slave abolitionist Frederick Douglass.
Barton and Douglass remained acquaintances for many years after the war, and it was across a dinner table with Douglass where Barton discussed her ideas of establishing an American Red Cross. When President Chester Arthur granted the U.S. membership into the International Red Cross, Frederick Douglass’ name appeared on the list as one of the original members.
Another important African-American to advance the Red Cross mission was Dr. Charles Drew. Dr. Drew made the breakthrough discovery that if red blood cells could be removed from whole blood, the fluid that remained, plasma, could be preserved over long period of times. Before that, attempts to preserve blood for use in medical emergencies had run into difficulties because the red blood cells deteriorated within a week. Dr. Drew became the first director of the American Red Cross Blood Bank. Drew’s advances laid the foundation for modern day, large-scale blood banking.
In 1979, Dr. Jerome Holland, became the first African-American chairman of the American Red Cross, a position he held until his death in 1985. As chairman, Holland was particularly effective in facilitating good relations between the American Red Cross and its counterpart in the Islamic world, the Red Crescent.
Dr. Charles Orr’s association with the American Red Cross began in rural Alabama where he was an early supporter of Junior Red Cross activities for black youth. Later, he organized blood drives; most notably, he encouraged African-American donations as well as acted as a pioneer in the advocacy effort of removing racial designations on blood labels. Orr made it his mission to ensure minorities in the American Red Cross were equally employed and recruited. He served on the American Red Cross Board of Governors for five years, and in 1985, Orr became the first African-American to receive the Harriman Award, the highest award given to a volunteer.
The American Red Cross salutes the immeasurable contributions these individuals, and many other African Americans, have made and recognizes their role in creating the organization that exists today.
