Robert Nicholas "Bob" Santos (1934-2016), was a Filipino American born and raised in Seattle's Chinatown - International District. He spent most of his life as an activist in his old neighborhood -- saving it, nurturing it, defending it against outside threats, whether environmental, cultural, or political. Mr. Santos developed a close relationship with other activists for racial justice, in particular Bernie Whitebear (1937-2000), Edward Lawrence "Larry" Gossett (b. 1945), and Roberto Felipe "Bob" Maestas (1938-2010). Collectively they were known as the "Gang of Four," and in 1982 they founded the Minority Executive Directors Coalition (MEDC).

From 1972 to 1989, Mr. Santos served as Executive Director of the International District Improvement Association (Inter*Im, now InterIm CDA). In this position, he was a pivotal liaison between community activists, private businesses, and government agencies in developing and overseeing ID preservation plans. The group’s agenda included increasing the ID’s affordable housing stock, preserving its culturally distinct small businesses, and providing the neighborhood with a range of culturally appropriate social services, particularly for its Asian elderly. From 1989 to 1993, Mr. Santos oversaw the Seattle Chinatown/ International District Preservation Authority, and in 1994, U. S. President Bill Clinton (b. 1946) appointed him the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) secretary's representative for the Northwest-Alaska area, Region X, a position he served in until 2001.

In this image, Bob Santos sits in one of the substandard hotel room apartments that is being renovated through one of InterIm's programs.

Caption information source: "Bob Santos (1934-2016), International District activist; Catholic Interracial Council; Inter*Im; Author," retrieved from https://depts.washington.edu/civilr/santos.htm
Caption information source: "Robert 'Bob' Santos Oral History, Parts 1-4" HistoryLink.org Essays 10961-10964.
Caption information also derived from captions written by Post-Intelligencer staff and attached to the back of the photograph.