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Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Representation Matters: Three African Americans Vying For Seats On The Seattle City Council

Pictured left to righ: Joy Hollingsworth and Erfain Hudnell

By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium

        As the City Council election season is underway, there has been an exodus from the council as councilmembers Alex Pedersen, Lisa Herbold, Deborah Juarez and Kshama Sawant have all declared that they are not going to seek re-election.

        With their departure from the council, there is an opportunity for new political blood to be infused into Seattle politics, and three African Americans have already tossed their hats into the ring.

        There hasn’t been an African American presence on the council since Mayor Bruce Harrell left office in 2019. Today, Joy Hollingsworth, Efrain Hudnell and Rob Saka hope to change that.

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        Hollingsworth, a native of Seattle and the granddaughter of Dorothy Hollingsworth, the first Black woman elected to a school board in Washington state, formally announced her candidacy on MLK Day for the seat in District 3 vacated by Sawant.

        Hollingsworth, who played basketball at Seattle Prep high school, Arizona State University and professionally in Greece, received her Master’s in Education from the University of Washington. Today, Hollingsworth works in the Food Access Network for Northwest Harvest, a distribution center for food banks. Hollingsworth’s family is the first Black family to own businesses within the cannabis industry here in the state of Washington producing cannabis products, like soaps, candles, textiles as well as producers of the cannabis flower for recreational and medicinal purposes.

        Hollingsworth says the impetus behind her decision to run for office stems from her grandmother’s actions following the death of George Floyd. It was during the protests for George Floyd that Hollingsworth’s grandmother, at the tender age of ninety-nine, felt the need to be a part of the events/protests in Seattle. Because her mobility was limited her grandmother sat in the car and waved and supported all of the protestors as they marched by.

        This scene was an epiphany for Hollingsworth as she watched her grandmother having to fight for the same rights and privileges that she had been fighting for all her life and very little had changed. So, Hollingsworth felt compelled to act.

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        “How beautiful it was to see my grandmother in that moment showing solidarity and connecting with people,” Hollingsworth remembers. “And as beautiful as it was, I thought to myself how sad that this ninety-nine-year-old has to come out here and is still marching for the same things that she was doing back in the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s. It was like what type of impact do I want to have on the community and how can we make this change and to me it started with local government.”

        Also, running for the vacant seat in District 3 is prosecutor Efrain Hudnell. Hudnell is from a military background. Through that experience Hudnell learned the value of leadership, adaptability and civil and community service.  A graduate of New Mexico State University, Hudnell was stationed in Washington state during his time in the military and fell in love with the region. He later enrolled in law school at Seattle University, became a prosecutor, and now resides here in Seattle. Hudnell reflected on his journey that brought him to this moment and the why running for office was necessary.

        ‘There’s a saying ‘if you want to see results you go where the need is greatest’ and I see that at the city level,” says Hudnell. “I think as I unravel my life and look back at my successes and failures, the next step for me was to enter into public service. Hopefully as a member of the city council but at the very least continue to work for the community.”

        All three candidates are well aware of the major issues that are plaguing our communities like affordable housing, public safety, economic equality, jobs and homelessness. But they all have different solutions to the problems we face.

        “The first thing when I’m talking to residents that comes up is public safety,” says Hollingsworth. “The second is nourishing our small businesses, the third thing that we want to tackle is affordable housing, slash homeownership, figuring out ways to bring the Black community back into the Central District through different avenues of homeownership. And the fourth piece is engaging and connecting with our youth and nourishing them with different program models that will continue to develop them and make them feel safe.”

        “I think everyone is addressing some of the same issues, housing affordability, public safety, homelessness, so obviously these are center to the campaign,” says Hudnell. “[As it relates to my stance on the issues], housing affordability, this is not an optional conversation, we need to build more housing. I-135 is very likely to pass, this is not an optional conversation. This is one of the most imminent threats our city faces, American cities don’t do well when it becomes too expensive to live in and the population stagnates.”

        Hollingsworth, Hudnell and Saka are all poised to give the Black community representation once again. And representation is important because it gives our community the manifestation of our dreams and goals, something tangible to identify and work with.

        If we haven’t learned anything else over the last few years, it is that representation matters. With three African Americans already running for Seattle City Council, it appears that major issues of concern for the African American community may be hot topics along this year’s campaign trail.

        “I love building community and I want to be the councilperson that amplifies the community’s voice to city hall,” says Hollingsworth. “I also want to be the most accessible city councilmember. Where you can call me, send me an email, see me at a coffee shop, see me walking my dog and want to stop and just chat. I want to be that champion for our district where I am creating transparent access to government, and I am the bridge or channel to help people solve problems. That’s the most important thing.”

        “I have lived in a lot of places, and I don’t claim to be the most well-travelled person in the world, and I can say without hyperbole that Seattle probably is the city with the most potential in North America, definitely in the United States,” says Hudnell. “The decisions that we make, the outcome of this election, the number of seats that will turnover will put Seattle on a trajectory. It is my hope that regardless of who wins this seat, that the conversations we have will set us on pathway of success to be that continental model to what a climate resilient and vibrant city can and should be. I am excited to have these conversations and move the ball forward.”

        Editor’s Note: The Seattle Medium did reach out to Rob Saka for this story but did not receive a response from his campaign prior to press time.

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