Meet josh.
SON OF REFUGEES
Josh Binda is a first-generation African American who was born and spent his early childhood living in Section 8 Housing in Providence, Rhode Island. His family is originally from the West African country of Liberia where they escaped a civil war as refugees after winning an international lottery that brought them to the United States. Josh moved to Lynnwood as a teenager and has been a resident ever since. After beating a twenty-year incumbent at age 21, Josh became the youngest African American ever elected in Washington state history. He is still one of the youngest politicians in the nation, currently.
Engineering background
Josh attended Sno-Isle Tech while he was still in high school. While there, he served as Student Body President and graduated near the top of his class, earning an Aerospace Engineering Certificate. A year younger than his peers who he graduated with, Boeing offered Josh a job when he was just 17. That work led to Josh becoming one of the youngest employees ever at Blue Origin, as well, where he worked as an Integration Engineer.
COMMUNITY LEADER
In early summer 2020, as America was reeling from the murder of George Floyd, Josh watched in horror as a group of Black Lives Matter protesters were physically assaulted by right wing conservatives in downtown Snohomish. Josh decided to put his own Black Lives Matter march together in downtown Snohomish, and to his surprise, 600 people showed up. Less than a week later, he led a similar rally in Mukilteo and more than 3,000 showed up to that one. Josh went on to lead thousands of BLM supporters through Bothell, Everett, Lynwood, and Woodinville. Every single march that Josh led was 100% peaceful.
INSPIRING OUR YOUTH
A renowned public and motivational speaker who has inspired students aged elementary school through college, Josh has spoken to more than 40,000 students across two statewide school tours. During his “Love Conquers All” tour, Josh promoted the importance of leading with love and chasing dreams. During his Breaking Barriers tour (for which he wrote his first self-published book), Josh talked about overcoming obstacles and encouraged young people to break through the systemic barriers that have been keeping them from taking on more leadership roles within their communities. Josh was a Forbes 30 Under 30 nominee in 2023 and was chosen as one of 425 Business Magazine’s 30 Under 30 Brightest Young Professionals of 2022.
Serving in office
Since his election to Lynwood City Council, Josh has been at the forefront of initiatives that have brought significant funding and support to important causes in his city. Josh led an initiative that secured hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding for mental health clinicians to be placed in elementary, middle, and high schools in Lynwood. Josh also led a push for tens of thousands of dollars in funding for recreational scholarships for youth and seniors who are now able to access facilities for free. Additionally, Josh's dedication to his community led to him leading the call for millions of dollars to improve local public spaces and amenities via parks and recreation funding in Lynnwood.
With his track record of effective leadership and his commitment to bringing positive change to his district and across the state, Josh Binda is ready to be a fresh new voice and leader in Congress.
