T'wina T. Nobles (née Fields, formerly T'wina Franklin, born 1981) is an American politician and educator serving as a member of the

Washington State Senate The Washington State Senate is the upper house of the Washington State Legislature. The body consists of 49 members, each representing a district with a population of nearly 160,000. The State Senate meets at the Legislative Building in Olympi ...

from the 28th district. Elected in 2020, she assumed office on January 11, 2021.

Early life and education

Nobles was born in a military family in

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

. Nobles' mother was a drug user, and the family lived in

Monterey, California Monterey (; es, Monterrey; Ohlone: ) is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it functioned as the capital of Alta California under bo ...

before settling in the

Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee County, with which it ...

area. Nobles was eventually placed in the foster care system in

Phenix City, Alabama Phenix City is a city in Lee and Russell counties in the U.S. state of Alabama, and the county seat of Russell County. As of the 2020 Census, the population of the city was 38,817. Phenix City lies immediately west across the Chattahoochee R ...

and became pregnant when she was 19. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in politics and Master of Education in teaching from the

University of Puget Sound The University of Puget Sound (UPS or Puget Sound) is a private university in Tacoma, Washington. The university draws approximately 2,600 students from 44 states and 16 countries. It offers 1,200 courses each year in more than 50 traditional an ...

Career

After earning her master's degree, Nobles worked as a teacher at

Stadium High School Stadium High School is a public high school in Tacoma, Washington, and a historic landmark. It is part of Tacoma Public Schools, or Tacoma School District No. 10 and is located in the Stadium District, near downtown Tacoma. The original building ...

and Lincoln High School in

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, Washington, Olympia, and northwest of Mount ...

. She served as a member of the

University Place, Washington University Place is a city in Pierce County, Washington, United States. Its population was 34,866 at the 2020 census. Based on per capita income, University Place ranks 81st of 522 areas in the state of Washington to be ranked. History Universi ...

School Board and was the president of the Tacoma Urban League. In March 2020, Nobles announced her candidacy for the 28th district in the

against incumbent Republican

Steve O'Ban Steven Thomas O'Ban (born July 12, 1961) is an American politician and attorney who served as a member of the Washington State Senate, representing the 28th district from 2013 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as ...

. Nobles won the Democratic primary and narrowly defeated O'Ban in the November general election. When she assumed office on January 11, 2021, she became the first black legislator elected to the Senate since 2010. Nobles is the vice chair of both Senate Committee on Higher Education and Workforce Development and the Senate K-12 Education Committee. She is also a member of the Transportation Committee.

Personal life

Nobles and her husband have four children. Nobles' husband is a non-profit executive director and real estate broker in Tacoma.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nobles, T'wina Living people Democratic Party Washington (state) state senators University of Puget Sound alumni Politicians from Tacoma, Washington Women state legislators in Washington (state) 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century American politicians African-American women in politics African-American state legislators in Washington (state) 1981 births 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American politicians 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women