Seattle council president says she works with a separate ‘Black budget’
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The Seattle City Council president said he was working with two budgets — his district’s budget and the “Black budget” — and called on Black residents to unite as the “most powerful political party” in Seattle.
Joy Hollingsworth, Seattle City Council president and District 3 representative, told attendees at the Africatown State 2026 conference how she advocates for the “Black budget” to be reflected in the city’s overall budget. The public town hall focused on improving Seattle’s Black community was held in late February, but Hollingsworth’s remarks Seattle talk show host Jason Rantz.
“So every year, every time I go to council member Dan Strauss, I have two budgets. I have my third district budget and then my black budget,” Hollingsworth told the audience.
Hollingsworth’s remarks come just days before Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson ordered city agencies to cut their budgets by 5% to 10% for next year. Seattle faces a projected $140 million budget shortfall for fiscal year 2026.
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Joy Hollingsworth is president of the Seattle City Council. He represents the 3rd District in the city. (Seattle City Council)
During the speech, Hollingsworth described how he brought together nearly 70 Black residents to testify about the city’s budget last year, calling it “Black Budget Day.”
“It’s important that they see us, hear us, and that we’re not here for some of the things we stand for,” Hollingsworth said of Black Budget Day. “There are political parties in Seattle, and I believe that if black people come together, we can be the strongest political party in the city of Seattle. We must join forces.”
Rantz invited Hollingsworth onto his radio show to explain what he meant by the term “Black budget” and suggested that it was still an “issue” whether Hollingsworth meant it as an actual budget or as a term used for political branding.
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Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson said in a barista action line last year: “I’m not buying Starbucks, and neither should you.” (David Ryder/Reuters)
“But we rightly call it ‘white budget,'” Rantz said. wrote. “And it’s worth asking why Hollingsworth doesn’t seem keen to offer other constituencies their own rights. to have budget. Maybe he doesn’t care enough about Asians or Latinos?”
Rantz said Hollingsworth canceled the interview with his station, but Fox News Digital told Hollingsworth in a statement that the Black budget meant “targeted investments and resources towards historically impacted communities in Seattle.”
“This is about addressing long-standing challenges in public safety, infrastructure, small business support, clean and safe parks, roads and sidewalks, and workforce development,” Hollingsworth said. he said.
A view of the Seattle skyline from a road in Seattle, Wash. (Nik Lanum/Fox News Digital)
“In Seattle, we need to focus on delivering the basics of the city,” Hollingsworth continued. “This is what our city’s communities want and what they want to see government deliver on every day. We focus on the fundamentals of local government, safe streets, reliable infrastructure, responsive city services and clean public spaces.”
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When asked what percentage of Seattle’s $8.9 billion budget should be allocated to the “Black budget,” Hollingsworth said, “$8.9 billion. The city’s budget.”
