Joy Hollingsworth has a secret weapon in Seattle politics—and she's not afraid to name it. The City Council president stood before a packed audience at the State of Africatown 2026 conference and dropped a bombshell: she works with two budgets every year. One for her district. One she calls "the Black budget."
"So, I got two budgets every time I go to council member Dan Strauss," Hollingsworth declared. "I have a District 3 budget and then a Black budget." The room buzzed. This wasn't a policy memo. It was a rallying cry.
Her words landed like thunder just days before Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson ordered city agencies to slash their budgets by 5% to 10%. The city is staring down a $140 million deficit for 2026. Yet Hollingsworth wasn't backing down. She described orchestrating a day she calls "Black Budget Day"—marching roughly 70 Black residents into City Hall to testify on the budget.
"It is important that they see us, that they hear us," she said, her voice carrying the weight of conviction. "We just don't show up for certain things—we are down here advocating for us."
Then she went further. "There are political parties in Seattle," Hollingsworth told the crowd. "And I believe that if Black people come together, we can be the most powerful political party in the city of Seattle. We have to coalesce our power." The statement was electric, provocative, and immediately drew fire.
Local talk show host Jason Rantz pounced. He invited Hollingsworth on his show to explain, then suggested the term "Black budget" itself was a problem. "We'd rightly call out a 'white budget,'" Rantz wrote. He pushed harder: why not offer other communities their own budget? Why not Asians or Latinos?
Hollingsworth canceled the interview. But she fired back with a statement that reframed the entire debate. The Black budget, she explained, is about "targeted investments and resources directed toward historically impacted communities." It's about public safety, infrastructure, small business support, clean parks, sidewalks, and workforce development.
"In Seattle, we need to stay focused on delivering the city basics," she said. "That's what communities across our city are asking for." Safe streets. Reliable infrastructure. Responsive services. Clean public spaces.
When asked what percentage of the city's massive $8.9 billion budget should go to this Black budget, her answer was as bold as her vision: "8.9 billion dollars. The city's budget." A statement that left everyone wondering—was she claiming the whole budget, or redefining what it means to truly serve every community?
