Seattle council member touts 'Black budget,' calls for Black residents to form 'most powerful political party'

Joy Hollingsworth, president of the Seattle City Council and representative of District 3, told attendees at the State of Africatown 2026 conference how she has advocated for the "Black budget" to be reflected in the city's general budget. 

"So, I got two budgets every time I go to council member Dan Strauss every year. I have a District 3 budget and then a black budget," Hollingsworth told the audience.

During the address, Hollingsworth talked about how she assembled roughly 70 Black residents to testify last year on the city's budget, dubbing it "Black Budget Day."

"It is important that they see us, that they hear us, that we just don't show up for certain things that we are down here advocating for us," Hollingsworth said of Black Budget Day. 

Rantz invited Hollingsworth on his radio show to explain what she meant by the term "Black budget," suggesting that whether she meant it as a literal budget or a term used for political branding, it's still a "problem."

Rantz said Hollingsworth canceled the interview with his station, but in a statement to Fox News Digital, Hollingsworth said the Black budget refers to "targeted investments and resources directed toward historically impacted communities in Seattle."

Asked what percentage of Seattle's $8.9 billion budget should be allocated for the "Black budget," Hollingsworth said in an email, "8.9 billion dollars. The city's budget."