By Joy Hollingsworth, Seattle City Council President
Since 1986, when Rev. Dr Martin Luther King Jr. Day was established as a federal holiday, communities across the country have gathered each year to honor his legacy. Through marches, inspirational quotes, speeches, and community events, people come together to remember where we have been and the dream we’re striving for.
When Dr. King delivered his historic speech in Washington, D.C., in 1963, more than 250,000 people attended, standing shoulder to shoulder on the National Mall. My grandmother was one of them. She boarded a bus from Seattle and traveled across the country to support the vision of a nation where people are “judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” For so many, this dream was often the only hope to hold onto while enduring discrimination: Jim Crow laws, segregated “colored only” water fountains, separate entrances to restaurants, being forced to sit at the back of buses, and even being denied the right to vote.
Yet in 2026, we are still grappling with deep and persistent division. Dialogue is too often drowned out by the loudest voices, and we have grown accustomed to dehumanizing one another by stripping away empathy and emotion instead of seeking shared ground. We have reduce people to labels and differences. Our city is in a fragile state, and the divisions we see nationally often find their way into Seattle, testing our values and challenging our sense of community. Partisan conflicts, misinformation, and mistrust have made it harder to listen and harder to connect.
If there is one lesson we should carry forward from Dr. King, it is that progress begins with making the basics better as human beings by looking one another in the eye, saying good morning, and listening with respect when someone is speaking. These small acts of kindness and recognition are significant. They are the foundation of a healthy, functioning society rooted in respectful interaction.
Dr. King also reminded us that progress must be paired with economic mobility. Words alone cannot heal communities if material conditions remain unchanged. As long as the Seattle median household income for a Black family has hovered around $55,000 over the last 10 years, while the median income for all households in Seattle is $121,984, disparities in health, education,
economic opportunity, and wealth will persist. This income gap represents not only missed opportunities, but barriers that undermine long-term stability and community healing.
Economic mobility is central to Dr. King’s vision. Moving forward requires us to center policies and investments that expand opportunity and allow communities to build generational stability. Only then can we begin to realize the unity, dignity, and justice he so eloquently spoke of.
