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The Minnesota Census and Democracy Partnership Expresses Gratitude to Robert Santos for Service as Census Bureau Director and Commitment to Community

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Gradient blue to purple background with the MCF logo showing only the flame on the right-hand side and a graphic of Minnesota with hands of different colors filling the state on the left-hand side with the words "MN Census and Democracy Project" centered in white, bold letters.

The Minnesota Census and Democracy Partnership expresses our deepest gratitude to Robert Santos for his service as Director of the United States Census Bureau following his resignation on January 30, 2025. 

Santos' dedication to a fair and accurate census was evidenced in his actions from the creation of advisory committees, efforts to modernize operations, and frequent and consistent community engagement trips across the nation to build relationships and trust. The Minnesota Census and Democracy Partnership experienced Santos’ commitment to inclusivity and reaching historically undercounted communities firsthand when Santos visited Minnesota in July 2024.  Santos and his team participated in multiple meetings with communities of color, immigrant, indigenous, rural communities, and Deaf, DeafBlind, and hard of hearing leaders, and more to learn about how to authentically engage their communities for the 2030 census. In all conversations Santos listened to community members earnestly, offered solutions grounded in their lived experiences, and led with tremendous humility. Santos’ community-centered and servant leadership will be remembered with great fondness and will serve as a beacon of light as we all work towards a fair and accurate census count. 

The Minnesota Census and Democracy Partnership remains committed to building a long-term, community-driven census and democracy movement in Minnesota. Through relational advocacy, transformative education, and grassroots organizing, we will continue working to support the power of undercounted communities within the census and democracy ecosystem, centering their lived experiences every step of the way to build a truly representative and just Minnesota. Thank you to all our partners who are united in this goal, and we look forward to continuing to work together.

On behalf of the Minnesota Census and Democracy Partnership, 

May Yang and Nicole Donoso 

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