By Yasmeen Saadi, American Red Cross
Bill Caldwell became aware of racial inequality at a young age. Growing up in Cocoa Beach, Florida, he was confused to notice that people of color were cooking, cleaning and taking care of the restaurants—but that all the diners were white. He was just a little kid back then, but he knew somehow it wasn’t right. Ever since, he has worked toward a more diverse and welcoming society.
Because of his lifelong passion to make society more equitable and inclusive, Bill Caldwell received the “Dive Into Diversity” award for 2021 from the Missouri-Arkansas Region of the American Red Cross.
When he became an adult, Bill was determined to make a difference and became involved in political roles on local and national committees. Alongside his professional career with Trans World Airlines and American Airlines, he was part of the presidential campaigns of Hubert Humphrey and Barack Obama. He also served on the state Democratic committee and on the Latino recruitment team for the Democratic Party. In each of these roles, Bill stuck to his moral code, supporting candidates he believed would create positive change.
“I guess I was a civil libertarian before I knew what a civil libertarian was,” Bill said.
After becoming a Red Cross volunteer, Bill deployed to a few disaster relief operations in typical (what are typical roles) roles. But when his supervisor saw that he could call a United States senator’s office and get things done, he was moved into external relations and has been there since.
In his work with the Red Cross, Bill reaches out intentionally to all social communities, and currently works with Latino organizations to incorporate Spanish language opportunities. He believes a diverse volunteer workforce makes the Red Cross stronger and more capable, and does all he can to ensure the organization is welcoming and inclusive.
“I seem to think I make a difference. Alleviating human suffering is one of the tenets of the Red Cross, and I’ve had some outstanding people to work with,” Bill said.