Charles Drew, an African American doctor, was the director of the American Red Cross’ first blood collection program in 1941. That same year, the Red Cross announced it wouldn’t accept blood from African Americans. An outcry from many African Americans forced a change in the program, but the Red Cross kept blood from African Americans separate from blood from white donors. That policy stayed in effect until 1949. This is one of the many surprising facts I learned while writing Charles Drew: Pioneer in Medicine.
Red Cross Statistic: Every 2 seconds, someone in the United States needs blood.
[My Classroom Connections posts will share a way to connect one of my books or poems to a classroom topic–often something timely that you might be covering in the next month or so. Please share this post if you have educator friends who might be interested–thanks!]