“I believe policy making must account for society’s most vulnerable.”

Leadership: Alexsandro Santos is a bridge builder, bringing together the worlds of government policy, civil society, and grassroots youth movements. His experience overcoming the challenges of being a black gay man in São Paulo has driven his passion for leadership development and educational equality.

Working in the public sector, Alexsandro has designed programs to reduce educational inequalities and implement affirmative action in schools, focusing on black children, children whose parents are incarcerated, and children with disabilities. He also leads training programs for community leaders and public administrators, along with free pedagogy courses for low-income black youth in São Paulo.

Vision: In an age of growing political polarization and deepening inequalities, in Brazil and elsewhere, Alexsandro’s activism models a new form of leadership, working inside and outside government to enact policy and empower people as agents of change. His goal is to help young people from vulnerable backgrounds develop technical and leadership skills so that they can put those skills to work for social and political transformation.