There is something very special that happens when you combine the power of film, real archival footage, family members sharing their own memories, a personal connection to the story through Dr. Yvette Miller, the power of partnerships, and simply showing up to experience something spectacular. For me, that was the 25 minutes I spent watching Iconic Excellence.
I am so often working behind the scenes on events with these partners that it was genuinely refreshing to just show up and take it all in from the front seat, capturing gems of wisdom before, during and after the event, so that we can amplify them, share them, and challenge others to play along: test their knowledge, watch the film, reflect through the songs, and share the messages of the night.
For me, those messages came down to four words: KNOW MORE and GIVE BLOOD.
I've known these partners a long time. Sam and Courtney for 10 to 15 years, Moses for the past five, and Akilah, Crystal and Dr. Yvette for the past three to four.
Why we came together
Before the lights went down, Courtney Slanacker of the American Red Cross Southern Arizona and Sam Ross of the Arizona Achievers Foundation set the stage. They reminded us why we were there: to celebrate the man who made blood banking possible, and to turn a movie night into lives saved.
today we're celebrating Dr. Charles Drew, the founder of blood banking
My thought would be get out and donate blood. Our sickle cell patients need it.
The film, and the conversation it started
Then came the film. Twenty-five minutes of real footage, his daughters and grandchildren telling his story in their own words, and Dr. Yvette Miller, someone many of us know personally, connecting his work to the blood supply we depend on today. You could feel the room lean in.
When the credits rolled, the conversation began, and this is where I learned the most. Listening to the comments and questions from the audience, one thing was clear: too many people still don't know how to explain what sickle cell is, or why it is so important for minorities to donate blood.
We need to really honestly educate the African American why it's important that we give blood.
Dr. Yvette answered question after question with the kind of clarity that only comes from a lifetime in transfusion medicine, including one I hope everyone remembers: people with sickle cell trait can still give.
they are not eligible to donate red blood cells, but they can donate platelets and plasma, because patients that have sickle cell absolutely need platelets and plasma as well.
And then the night turned personal. Akilah Gilbert stood up as her own Sickle Cell Warrior and family advocate and thanked the people who make transfusions possible. Our partners honored my friend Moses Akpan with the Sickle Cell Champion Award, and he gave us the line of the night.
As a warrior, we get the blood, but we don't know all the story behind it.
Dr. Drew didn't leave a trail. He left a highway.
Dr. Aja Murphy named the mistrust in our community honestly, and Crystal Jackson turned the whole evening into a plan.
If we'll accept blood, we should be able to donate also and make it a part of the culture.
Host a blood drive, donate blood, bring someone to help.
What people carried home
The best part of any event is what happens in the lobby afterward. We caught people's first reactions while they were still fresh: a former phlebotomist who had never heard of Dr. Drew, a church leader ready to take the message home, a health advocate glad to see the myths finally set straight.
I'd never heard of him before, and the crazy thing is I'm a former phlebotomist
I can't wait to take this message back to my church family
I was also taken in by some of the myths that I'm happy that was debunked tonight
My two takeaways
Learn what sickle cell is and why a close blood match matters. Then be the person who can explain it to someone else.
Learn it in the challenge →Give whole blood every 56 days, or platelets and plasma if you have sickle cell trait. Host a drive. Bring someone with you.
Find a blood drive →Now it's your turn. Play along.
Watch the film, test what you know, reflect with the songs, and share the messages of the night.
With gratitude to the American Red Cross Southern Arizona, the Sickle Cell Foundation of Arizona and the Arizona Achievers Foundation, and to everyone who showed up.
— Coach Lucy