African American blood donors are needed.
That is the message from the South Bend Medical Foundation who is starting a new initiative to raise awareness.
They started this morning by bringing their mobile blood unit to the Martin Luther King breakfast at the century center.
Officials say that less than one percent of all blood donors are African-American.
"There is a huge need for blood specific to African-Americans, given the fact they create a specific antigen, so generally when an African-American is in need of blood, their best match comes from another African-American," says Christina Tempo of the South Bend Medical Foundation.
Over the next year, officials from the medical foundation will be educating African-Americans on the importance of donating blood.
