MACON, GA, UNITED STATES, June 3, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ — A special photography exhibit was unveiled at the Tubman Museum highlighting African American organ transplant recipients, living organ donors, and the families of deceased organ donors. The series of black and white portraits were taken by visual storyteller, Johnny Crawford, in association with Lifelink Foundation, Inc.
“The high rate of African Americans who are in need of life-saving organ transplants, and the low rate of African Americans that actually register to be organ donors, I felt, needed to be brought to attention,” says Asha Warner, director of Outreach, Engagement, & Diversity at Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office.
Warner has a vested interest in organ transplant recipients and organ donation. She approached Crawford, asking him to take 33 portraits of African American organ transplant recipients, living organ donors, and the families of deceased organ donors. As an organ transplant recipient, Crawford readily accepted.
“This will be my 28th year with a kidney transplant,” says Crawford. “My mother died at 21 years old of kidney disease and my father died at 25 of muscular dystrophy, and I’ve been living with health issues all my life. So, when Asha approached me with the idea, I felt this was something that needed to be done.”
According to the National Institute of Health, while 39% of people on the kidney waiting list are African American, only 23.0% of deceased donor organ recipients are African American. African Americans needing a kidney transplant wait, on average, 1,335 days, compared with 734 days for whites.
Currently, there are 5,000 men, women and children awaiting life-saving organ transplants in the state of Georgia. 63% of those currently on the transplant waiting list in Georgia are African American.
The Perfect Gift is currently on view in the BB&T Gallery on the second floor of the Tubman Museum. The exhibition will remain at the Tubman through June 19, 2021.
Support for this exhibition was provided by LifeLink of Georgia.
About Life Link
LifeLink of Georgia, a division of the LifeLink Foundation, is the non-profit Organ Procurement Organization designated to the state of Georgia and two counties in South Carolina. LifeLink Georgia helps to facilitate the recovery of organs for transplantation within hospitals in its donation service area, along with providing public education about the facts of donation and how individuals can save lives by joining the organ, tissue and eye donor registry while obtaining a driver’s license or online at www.DonateLifeGeorgia.org
About the Tubman Museum
Since its founding in 1981, the Tubman Museum has grown from the dream of a single citizen to a source of pride for a diverse and growing community. Today, the Museum represents a key educational and cultural resource for Georgia and the entire Southeast, offering a wide array of exhibitions, programs, and services geared toward children, adults, families, students, and teachers. Though it has evolved over the years, the Museum has remained true to its original goal, to be a source of experiences that enrich cultural understanding, and to present the highest quality art to the communities it serves. As it continues to grow, the Tubman Museum honors its unique origin and traditions while strengthening its commitment to educating people about African American art, history, and culture. www.tubmanmuseum.com
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