Although of colored heritage in an era of racial discrimination, Drew was able to create “blood banks’’ and his pioneering of plasma during World War II led him to save countless lives. Many of today’s blood-transfusion technology comes from his work. The legacy of this man is great; however, Drew is still greatly unknown.
Charles Richard Drew was born on June 3, 1904, in Washington D.C. His mother, Nora Drew, and father, Richard Drew, were vey devoted and encouraged Charles and his younger siblings to aim high. A hard worker, Richard Drew earned enough for his family’s everyday needs, but there was no money for extras. Charles wanted spending money, so he became a newspaper boy, and he became very good at it. Often selling more than 2,000 papers a day, he soon became a special delivery boy for the U.S. Postal Service. …show more content…
He criticized the policy as unscientific, saying that there was no proof to support the claim that blood type differed from race to race. Drew once stated, “I feel that the recent ruling of the United States Army and Navy regarding the refusal of colored blood donors is an indefensible one from any point of view. As you know, there is no scientific basis for the separation of the bloods of different races except on the basis of the individual blood types or groups [Spencie Love, One Blood: The Death and Resurrection of Charles R. Drew (1996), 155-56, quoting as it appeared in Current Biography (1944), 180.].” Other scientists later confirmed his statements, and the government eventually allowed African American volunteers to donate blood, although it was still segregated. Because of his efforts in blood transfusions, in 1977 the American Red Cross headquarters in Washington, D.C., was renamed the Charles R. Drew Blood
Charles Richard Drew was born on June 3, 1904, in Washington D.C. His mother, Nora Drew, and father, Richard Drew, were vey devoted and encouraged Charles and his younger siblings to aim high. A hard worker, Richard Drew earned enough for his family’s everyday needs, but there was no money for extras. Charles wanted spending money, so he became a newspaper boy, and he became very good at it. Often selling more than 2,000 papers a day, he soon became a special delivery boy for the U.S. Postal Service. …show more content…
He criticized the policy as unscientific, saying that there was no proof to support the claim that blood type differed from race to race. Drew once stated, “I feel that the recent ruling of the United States Army and Navy regarding the refusal of colored blood donors is an indefensible one from any point of view. As you know, there is no scientific basis for the separation of the bloods of different races except on the basis of the individual blood types or groups [Spencie Love, One Blood: The Death and Resurrection of Charles R. Drew (1996), 155-56, quoting as it appeared in Current Biography (1944), 180.].” Other scientists later confirmed his statements, and the government eventually allowed African American volunteers to donate blood, although it was still segregated. Because of his efforts in blood transfusions, in 1977 the American Red Cross headquarters in Washington, D.C., was renamed the Charles R. Drew Blood