“On Borrowed Time,” Word In Black’s deeply reported series examining organ donation and transplantation in Black communities, has been officially nominated for an NAACP Image Award in the Outstanding Literary Work – Journalism category. The series is one of just five nominees nationwide.
Reported and written by Word In Black health data reporter Anissa Durham, “On Borrowed Time” investigates the deep mistrust, systemic barriers, and racial inequities Black Americans face within the organ donation and transplant system. Through rigorous data reporting and intimate storytelling, the series centers on patients and families navigating life-or-death decisions while confronting a medical system that has too often failed Black communities.
At its core, “On Borrowed Time” asks urgent questions: Why do Black Americans experience lower rates of organ transplantation despite a higher need? How have decades of medical racism and policy decisions shaped present-day outcomes? And what will it take to rebuild trust and save lives?
For decades, the NAACP Image Awards have honored Black excellence and elevated stories that reflect the realities, struggles, and triumphs of Black America. This nomination is a meaningful recognition of the care, depth, and accountability Anissa brought to this reporting — and of Word In Black’s ongoing commitment to journalism that tells the truth, exposes inequity, and centers lived experience.
We encourage readers who haven’t yet engaged with On Borrowed Time to spend time with the series and share it with someone who might find it meaningful. Organ donation is a subject that touches families across generations, and informed storytelling can be a powerful tool for understanding, healing, and action.
Watch Anissa talk about the series in the video below. Produced by Shernay Williams/Word In Black
Series Overview:
The Cruelest Kind of Heartbreak: An intimate look at Black patients facing loss, insurance barriers, and impossible waits while hoping for a life-saving heart transplant.
The Call That Saves a Life: Black transplant recipients recount the moment they received the call that changed — and saved — their lives.
Need an Organ Transplant? These 7 Resources Can Help: A practical guide to financial, legal, and emotional resources for Black patients navigating the transplant system.
Is the Patient Black? Check This Box for Yes: An investigation into race-based medical calculations that have historically delayed kidney transplants for Black patients.
He’s a Legendary Transplant Surgeon. At 88, His Work Isn’t Done: A profile of Dr. Clive O. Callender, whose decades-long fight for transplant equity has saved countless Black lives.
Why Do We Believe Organ Donation Conspiracies? Explores how misinformation and historical trauma fuel fear and conspiracy beliefs about organ donation in Black communities.
Organ Donation 101: Here’s What to Know: A clear, accessible explainer breaking down how organ donation and transplantation actually work.
Why Black Folks Say ‘No’ to Organ Donation – Examines how medical racism and generational mistrust shape decisions around organ donation.
What Reporting on Organ Transplants Taught Me: Anissa Durham’s reflection on the human cost of inequity and what a year of reporting revealed about survival, trust, and care.
Please join us in congratulating Anissa Durham on this well-deserved honor and celebrating the collective effort of Word In Black journalists, editors, and partners who helped bring “On Borrowed Time” to life.