T'wina T. Nobles (née Fields, formerly T'wina Franklin, born 1981) is an American politician who is a member 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 Washington State Capitol, Legis ...

from the 28th district, elected in 2020.

Early life and education

Nobles was born in a military family in

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

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

Monterey, California Monterey ( ; ) is a city situated on the southern edge of Monterey Bay, on the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California. Located in Monterey County, California, Monterey County, the city occupies a land area of and recorded a popu ...

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 (U.S. state), Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee ...

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 ...

and became pregnant when she was 17. 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 is a private liberal arts college in Tacoma, Washington, United States. It was founded in 1888. The institution offers a variety of undergraduate degrees as well as five graduate programs in counseling, education, oc ...

Career

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

Stadium High School Stadium High School is a public high school located in the Stadium District near downtown Tacoma, Washington. A historic landmark, the original building opened as a school in 1906 after conversion of an uncompleted railway hotel project. The ...

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, southwest of Bellevue, Washington, Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia ...

. 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. University Place received its name in the 1800s when the University of Puget Sound, a private liberal-arts college in North Ta ...

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. 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's husband is a non-profit executive director and real estate broker in Tacoma.

Notable legislation

Nobles voted in favor of HB 1589, which is described as supporting Washington's clean energy economy and transitioning to a clean, affordable, and reliable energy future by prohibiting the expansion of natural gas services and other regulations on natural gas companies. Nobles voted in favor of HB 1054, which is described as establishing requirements for tactics and equipment used by peace officers by adding restrictions on vehicular pursuits, as well as prohibiting law enforcement from using chokeholds, the deployment of tear gas, or unleashed police dogs in the arrest or apprehension of suspects.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nobles, Twina Living people Democratic Party Washington (state) state senators 21st-century members of the Washington State Legislature University of Puget Sound alumni Politicians from Tacoma, Washington Women state legislators in Washington (state) 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century African-American women politicians African-American state legislators in Washington (state) 1981 births 21st-century African-American politicians 20th-century African-American politicians 20th-century African-American women politicians 20th-century American women politicians