August marks National Multiethnic Donor Awareness Month (NMDAM), a time to recognize the life-saving importance of organ donation for communities of color. Currently, 62.4% of all patients on the national organ transplant waiting list are members of communities of color and are at risk of death if the needed organ is not donated and transplanted in time. The racial and ethnic differences in transplant need are especially noticeable in relation to kidney disease.

Currently, more than 800,000 Americans are living with endstage kidney disease and Black Americans are nearly four times more likely than white Americans to develop kidney failure.

Hispanics and Native Americans are more than twice as likely to develop serious kidney disease than white people. This is driven in part by higher rates of diabetes, hypertension, and other chronic health conditions that impact kidney function.

While there are over 100,000 people currently on the national transplant waiting list, over 86% of patients need a kidney transplant — an issue that disproportionately affects multiethnic populations — especially Black Americans. As a result, Black patients represent 25% of those waiting for a kidney transplant on the national transplant waiting list, making this month an important opportunity to call attention to this issue and how it can be addressed through organ donation.

As a Multicultural Community Outreach Coordinator at New England Donor Services, the federally designated non-profit organization responsible for the recovery of organs and tissues for transplant in the region, I regularly meet individuals and families whose lives have been impacted by kidney disease and transformed by kidney transplantation.

When a donated kidney is found in time and its transplant succeeds, the benefit extends beyond just the patient and to all those who love and depend on them. Like a pebble dropped into a still pond, the effects ripple outward as the patient is restored to better health and independence.

Unlike some other organs, kidneys can be donated both after death and by living donors. Deceased donation occurs when authorization for donation is obtained after someone dies. This authorization can be through donor registration made by the patient prior to death on a driver’s license or in an online registry, or by their legal next of kin after death.

Living donation allows a healthy individual to donate one of their two kidneys to someone in need of a transplant. Because a person can live a full and healthy life with just a single kidney, living donation has become a successful and well-studied type of transplantation, actually providing the transplant recipient with better transplant outcomes and shorter transplant wait times.

For communities of color, the importance of increasing the numbers of donors is especially significant. Blood types and other biological characteristics that influence organ matching are often more common among people of similar racial and ethnic backgrounds. For example, kidneys donated by Black donors, whether living or deceased, can play an essential role in helping Black patients receive the transplants they need.

Last year in the U.S., according to data collected by the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN), there were 2,403 Black deceased organ donors and 480 Black living organ donors, but this has not kept pace with the need. Currently, 27,487 Black patients in the U.S. are on the transplant waitlist for a kidney.

- Unfortunately, myths and misconceptions continue to discourage some people from considering donation, but the facts are clear.

- Doctors will always do everything possible to save a patient’s life, regardless of donor registration.

- Organ allocation is based on medical criteria, not wealth, fame or social status.

- Individuals of nearly any age may be considered for donation after death.

- And living kidney donation has been performed safely for decades, allowing donors to return to healthy, active lives.

While the decision to become an organ donor is ultimately a personal one, it is also a community decision. It is an opportunity to help address a health crisis that disproportionately affects Black Americans and communities of color, which in turn offers hope to those facing difficult health challenges.

The need is urgent and the solution can only begin with awareness and action. Registering as an organ donor and talking with your family about your wishes is a great step in helping those in need. Also, learning more about living kidney donation and encouraging conversations in community centers and neighborhood organizations about the life-giving gift of donation is essential.

For many patients and their families, who are waiting for a kidney transplant, it could mean the difference between years of ill-health, and a future filled with better health and new possibilities.

Menen Crawlle is a Multicultural Community Outreach Coordinator for New England Donor Services (NEDS), a leading non-profit organization that coordinates organ and tissue donation across Massachusetts and New England.