Nathan W. Biah Sr. (born December 14, 1971) is an American politician and educator who serves in the Rhode Island House of Representatives for the 3rd district.

Early life

Born and raised in Monrovia, the capital of

Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...

, Biah was his parents' only child. Biah was sent to a preparatory school considered one of the "most prestigious" in Liberia, but his education was interrupted by the

First Liberian Civil War The First Liberian Civil War lasted from 1989 to 1997. President Samuel Doe had established a regime in 1980 but totalitarianism and corruption led to unpopularity and the withdrawal of support from the United States by the late 1980s. The Nat ...

, which caused Biah to emigrate to the United States. In 1999, he earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from

Rhode Island College Rhode Island College (RIC) is a public college in Providence, Rhode Island. The college was established in 1854 as the Rhode Island State Normal School, making it the second oldest institution of higher education in Rhode Island after Brown Uni ...

, and in 2007, Biah received a master's degree in education from University of Rhode Island.https://ballotpedia.org/Nathan_Biah Ballotpedia, retrieved July 25, 2023

Political career

Biah announced a primary challenge to incumbent representative

Moira Walsh Moira Jayne Walsh (born August 23, 1990) is an American activist and politician who represented the 3rd district in the Rhode Island House of Representatives from 2017 to 2021. Walsh is a member of the Democratic Party. Early life Walsh was born ...

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

. Walsh, a staunch

progressive Progressive may refer to: Politics * Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform ** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context * Progressive realism, an American foreign policy par ...

, had been an opponent of Speaker of the Rhode Island House

Nicholas Mattiello Nicholas A. Mattiello (born 1963) is an American politician and Democratic former member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives, who represented the 15th District from 2007 to 2021. He served as the Speaker of the Rhode Island House of Repr ...

, who thus supported Biah. Biah was also endorsed by Rhode Island Right to Life, an

anti-abortion Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life or abolitionist movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in respons ...

organization. In contrast to most other successful primaries in the 2020 Rhode Island House elections, where progressives had ousted allies of Mattiello, Biah defeated Walsh 64–35, and was unopposed in the general election. He currently serves on the Innovation, Internet, and Technology Committee, the Finance Committee, which produces the state budget and the Education Committee.https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/03/27/metro/ri-representative-nathan-biah-running-congress/ Boston Globe, by Edward Fitzpatrick, March 27, 2023, retrieved July 25, 2023 He had originally declared his candidacy for US Representative of Rhode Island's 1st congressional district in March 2023, but has since withdrawn as a candidate and will not appear on the ballot for the special Democratic primary for U.S. representative of the 1st congressional district to be held on September 5, 2023.

References

American politicians of Liberian descent Democratic Party members of the Rhode Island House of Representatives Living people 1971 births Rhode Island College alumni 21st-century American politicians Liberian emigrants to the United States Politicians from Monrovia African-American state legislators in Rhode Island {{RhodeIsland-politician-stub