Nikkita Oliver, former Seattle mayoral candidate, jumps ship for Detroit
Aug 16, 2022, 10:29 AM | Updated: 4:32 pm
Seattle City Council candidate Nikkita Oliver. (Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
Nikkita Oliver fell within approximately 1,000 votes of advancing to the general election for mayor of Seattle in 2017. Four years later, the self-described abolitionist would lose an at-large city council position to a more centrist candidate. This month, the adjunct Seattle University law professor and community organizer left Seattle for the Midwest.
Oliver has accepted a position as the associate executive director of programs and strategy with the Detroit Justice Center (DJC), according to an announcement from the organization. DJC is a non-profit law firm “working alongside communities to create economic opportunities, transform the justice system, and promote equitable and just cities.”
“Nikkita works at the intersections of arts, law, education, and community [organizing], striving to create experiences which draw us closer to our humanity and [invite] us to imagine what we hope to see in the future,” a statement from DJC reads.
“They are excited to relocate to Detroit and assist with expanding DJC’s impact by strategically leading the program side of the organization.”
Seattle council candidate Nikkita Oliver aims for campaign beyond ‘a single issue race’
Along with leaving the city, Oliver is leaving Creative Justice, an organization that seeks to address racial disparities in the King County justice system.
“Our team of Directors, mentor artists, staff, and youth at Creative Justice will all miss Nikkita beyond words. We have such deep gratitude for all the love, energy, care, work, and dedication they have put into building and sustaining this community and organization, for the love, support, and care they have poured into each of us as individuals, and for their enduring and loving spirit,” the organization wrote in a newsletter, attributed to the Creative Justice Community.
In 2017, Oliver failed to advance to the general election for mayor of Seattle, falling to Cary Moon by 1,200 votes.
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