Bloodworks Northwest Works to Normalize Blood Donation in the Black Community

Public HealthBesa GordonAshleigh McCurdy

Sep 8

While blood donation is a cornerstone of modern healthcare, its availability is deeply unequal. According to a study conducted by Bloodworks Northwest, only 1% of Black Americans donate blood annually, compared to roughly 3% of the general U.S. population. Understanding and dismantling the barriers behind this gap is a key mission for public health advocates.

Harry Thomas, the Vice President of Marketing and Community Engagement at Bloodworks Northwest, emphasized that the primary obstacle is not logistical, but is rooted in a deep-seated lack of trust in the healthcare system.

The study also highlighted a major avenue for change: Black donors are twice as likely to give blood if asked personally by someone they know. According to Bloodworks Northwest, if all their current donors donated just one more time, there wouldn’t be any more blood shortages.

To build this trust, Bloodworks Northwest is bringing blood drives into the hearts of historical neighborhoods. A recent drive held at the Northwest African American Museum (NAAM), a cultural sanctuary in Seattle’s historic Central District, highlighted both the promise and the challenges of this grassroots approach.

For first-time donors like media personality Besa Gordon, walking into NAAM was an opportunity to serve.

"Coming into NAAM, I was actually excited to be able to give blood for the first time," she said. "It was something different for me. I've never done it before. And I was like, 'You know what? Okay, we're going to do something that's actually just good for my community, period.'"

Gordon’s experience was shared by Ashleigh McCurdy, the Colman Commons Executive Director. McCurdy, who has the rare Rh-negative blood type and previously required a life-saving transfusion herself, was deferred due to low iron.

"At least if you can't do that, then at least you're gaining some knowledge about your body and yourself moving forward,” she said. McCurdy noted that basic health conversations, such as knowing one’s blood type, are often absent in communities of color due to historical medical distrust.

For sickle cell survivor and artist Maya Milton, these personal health hurdles and the need for donors are deeply intertwined. Milton, who manages low iron herself, stressed the importance of health literacy.

"We need to know what the normal and the healthy level for iron is, and that needs to be plastered somewhere,” she said.

For patients like Milton, robust and diverse blood banks are a literal lifeline.

"It allows us to be able to show up in the world and show out in the world the way we choose to do so," she said, explaining that consistent transfusions prevent the debilitating fatigue that would otherwise limit her life and art.

Ultimately, normalizing blood donation requires shifting from sterile marketing campaigns to trusted, local education. As Gordon observed, the community needs spaces where education on the topic is thoughtful, rather than “having billboards and commercials that feel stoic and sterile and cold and impersonal coming through the screen."

Even in the face of deferral, the message remains clear: the conversation must continue, and everyone must try.

"It's important for all of us to take that chance, come out, give blood, because you never know who looks like you might need it next,” Gordon said.

Once you show up, the process is seamless, supportive, and ultimately saves lives. Organizations and community members looking to make a difference can visit their website at bloodworksnw.org to learn more.