On Juneteenth, the American Society of Transplant Surgeons pauses to honor the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans and to reflect on the work that remains. Frederick Douglass wrote that "where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, no one is truly safe”. His words remain a call to action that we hear within our own field.
Black Americans bear a disproportionate burden of end-stage organ disease, yet continue to face structural barriers to transplant referral, waitlisting, and equitable access to care. On this day, ASTS reaffirms its commitment to confronting these disparities thorough research and advocacy so that the promise of life-saving transplantation is extended to all who need it.