HBCU president Dr. Anthony J. Davis of Livingstone College broke major news during the homecoming game. Dr. Davis announced that he is scheduled to undergo a kidney transplant on November 13, following a months-long national search for a living donor. The announcement came during halftime of Livingstone College’s Homecoming football game against Shaw University and serves as an inspiring update to a health journey that galvanized support from across the HBCU community.
Back in May, Dr. Davis publicly shared that he had been diagnosed with stage five kidney failure, revealing that he was undergoing 9.5 hours of dialysis each night while continuing to lead Livingstone College. He launched a national donor search campaign titled “Be My Match,” after testing revealed that his own family members were not compatible matches due to blood type differences.
The campaign resonated across HBCU networks and beyond. Students, alumni, faculty, and supporters responded to the call, submitting inquiries and undergoing testing to determine if they could serve as a donor. That collective effort helped identify a compatible match, allowing Dr. Davis to now prepare for transplant surgery.
This next step is a significant milestone for Dr. Davis personally, and it also highlights the enduring strength of the HBCU community. Livingstone College, like so many historically Black colleges and universities, continues to exemplify what it means to support one another beyond the classroom, creating networks of care that extend across generations.
The transplant will mark a major turning point in Dr. Davis’s health, but the campaign has also drawn attention to a broader issue: the ongoing need for living kidney donors, especially among African Americans who are disproportionately impacted by kidney disease and underrepresented in national donor registries.
Dr. Davis’s announcement reinforces the power of community action—something HBCUs have long embodied. His story adds to the legacy of leadership and resilience associated with Livingstone College and its mission of transforming lives through education and service.
To learn more about becoming a kidney donor and supporting others in need, visit:
?https://www.dukehealth.org/treatments/transplant-program/kidney-donation
As the transplant date approaches, both Livingstone College and the wider HBCU family stand in support of a successful procedure and continued recovery for President Davis.