On August 18, community members and City officials, past and present, filled the Seattle City Council Chambers to celebrate the official proclamation of Allynn Ruth Day, honoring her 51 years of public service at the City of Seattle.
Allynn grew up in Yesler Terrace and is a proud graduate of Garfield High School and Seattle Pacific University. She started her career at the City in September 1975 working as a receptionist for Seattle City Council before joining Councilmember Paul Kraabel’s staff as an administrative assistant for one year and legislative assistant for seven. In 1984, Allynn joined the Office of Community Development as a neighborhood planner. Five years later, she began working as a project manager for the Neighborhood Matching Fund (NMF) at the Office of Neighborhoods, which became the Department of Neighborhoods (DON) in 1991.
For more than 30 years Allynn worked closely with residents and organizations across Seattle to support funding for community-led projects through NMF, including the African American Museum, the design, planning, and construction of Jimi Hendrix Park and Pathways Park: The Eli’s Park Project. In 2020, she joined the newly established Food Equity Fund (FEF) team, supporting community work led by those most impacted by food and health inequities and expanding access to healthy, culturally relevant food for thousands of residents. Over the years, Allynn has overseen more than $10 million in community investments through NMF and FEF. Additionally, she has served as the chair of DON’s Black Caucus, supporting and mentoring Black employees within the department.
“I’m here to tell you, that it’s because of people like you that I am sitting in this chair today. The sacrifices that you have made, the doors that you have opened and the path that you have blazed made it possible for me and so many other women of color here. It is our responsibility to continue to pay it forward for the next generation, just like you did.”
-City Council President Joy Hollingsworth
Her dedication to community support and empowerment extends well beyond her work at the City of Seattle. Allynn has sat on the board for the Roosevelt Alumni for Racial Equity, served as president of the Rainier Vista Boys & Girls Club, and mentors’ youth as a Sunday School teacher.
Thank you, Allynn, for your unwavering dedication to community building and public service! We can truly say people like Allynn make our department, our city, and our world a better place.
