Dorothy Hollingsworth (1920-2022) was a civic leader and lifelong advocate for education, particularly for children of color, in Seattle. She was the first African American woman to manage a major city agency when she served as director of the Seattle School District Head Start Program from 1965-1969, and the first Black women to serve on a school board in Washington State when she was elected in Seattle in 1975.

After receiving a master's degree in social work from University of Washington in 1959, Hollingsworth worked as social worker in Seattle Public schools. In the early 1960s, Hollingsworth became involved with the local civil rights movement, joining Christian Friends for Racial Equality and later the Central Area Civil Rights Committee. After serving at Head Start, from 1969 to 1975 Hollingsworth worked for the Model Cities Program, overseeing dozens of projects in education, arts and culture, economic development, job training, health, welfare, and legal services. When the program ended in 1975, she became Director of Early Childhood Education for the City of Seattle, where she set up day care programs and facilities for children throughout the city. After serving on the local school board, Hollingsworth worked as Deputy Director for the Department of Human Resources for the City of Seattle. She then was elected to the State Board of Education as the representative from the 7th District, serving from 1984 until her retirement in 1993.

This photo shows Dorothy Hollingsworth speaking at a Seattle School Board meeting on December 13, 1977. At the meeting, Hollingsworth spoke in favor of holding a vote on the "fixed (mandatory) assignment" desegregation plan, known as "The Seattle Plan." The board voted 6-1 to approve the plan the following day. The mandatory busing plan went into effect in September 1978.

Caption information sources: "Hollingsworth, Dorothy" by Mary T. Henry, HistoryLink.org Essay 291; "Dorothy Hollingsworth (1920- )" by Quinnita F. Cobbins-Modica, at https://www.blackpast.org/vignette_aahw/hollingsworth-dorothy-1920/
Caption information source: Seattle Times, December 13, 1977, p. 49, and December 15, 1977, p. 11.