About Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth

Council district: 3
In office since: 2024 
Current term: January 2024 - December 2027

Joy was born and raised in Seattle’s Central District, a neighborhood her family has called home since the 1940’s. She attended Stevens Elementary, TOPS at Seward, and Meany Middle School while spending her summers at Garfield Community Center.

The product of a long line of educators and civil rights leaders, Joy's  mother spent her career connecting vulnerable neighbors with housing options, while her father worked for equity in South Seattle as a longtime Parks Department employee, and her grandmother, Dorothy Hollingsworth, was a fierce advocate for families and opportunity.

After playing basketball at Seattle Preparatory School she went on to play for the University of Arizona, before playing professionally on the international stage. Joy returned to Seattle to earn  a Masters in Education from the University of Washington, and spent three seasons at Seattle University as an Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach.

In 2014, Joy’s brother Raft started Hollingsworth Farms, a family-owned and operated cannabis company located on the Olympic Peninsula. She joined the family business serving in operations, helping grow and manage one of Washington’s few independent, Black-owned cannabis operations.

Joy lives in the Central District with her wife Iesha, and their dog Santana.