Prior to being elected to the State Senate and Boston City Council, Lydia worked extensively in the legal field. She worked as a public interest attorney with Greater Boston Legal Services focusing on labor issues such as fighting for access to unemployment insurance, back wages, fair treatment for domestic workers, and combating human trafficking.
Lydia Edwards is a champion for housing justice, having served as a legal aid attorney, the founding Deputy Director of the Office of Housing Stability, and a staunch advocate for affordable housing on the Boston City Council.
Every person in our Commonwealth has the right to clear air and water, but for too long, low-income communities, immigrants and people of color have faced disproportionate levels of pollution while also being denied opportunity in the green economy.
Lydia is a fierce advocate for workers’ rights. In the Senate, she’ll continue her strong record of passing legislation and delivering resources and results for working people. As a member of the United Auto Workers, Lydia knows the power of a union, but she also knows that every worker, organized or not, deserves dignity, fair compensation and freedom from harassment in the workplace.
Lydia is a product of public schools. As a young learner, teachers and mentors in the school system changed her life, opened up opportunities and created a bridge to a better life. Lydia is committed to stand with students, parents and teachers in the fight for a fully funded, equitable, sustainable, and anti-racist education system.
Communities in the First Suffolk and Middlesex are choking on traffic pollution. Only when we tackle congestion, invest in public transit, and promote true freedom of mobility can our communities thrive.
As the daughter of a single mom, and as an organizer standing with low-income women and victims of labor trafficking, Lydia has always felt the critical draw to fight for gender and reproductive justice.
The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare stark inequalities that already existed beneath the surface of our society. Low-income communities and BIPOC communities, as well as older Americans and persons with disabilities, face terrible health challenges and unequal burdens: from disparities in rates of asthma and cardiovascular disease, to mental health and substance use disorder, to social isolation and loss of personal autonomy.
Our communities face incredible social and economic challenges. I will be your advocate on the city council and will fight for a Boston where everyone––landlords and renters, business owners and workers, teachers and students, parents and children, the young and our elders––can thrive.
I have a proven record in the courts, in city hall and in communities for improving day-to-day living conditions of Boston residents and workforce. As a community organizer I passed sweeping legislation on economic dignity by bringing industry and activists together. Having worked in city government I know what it takes to assure a community is well-represented and has access to the resources it needs. I know when to go “toe to toe” with developers, big banks, our local government, and casinos and when to invite stakeholders to the table to discuss collaborative solutions for our everyday problems. It’s a delicate balance, but today we need that kind of advocacy more than ever.
As your Councilor, I will sustain and improve quality education for every student, and take on the chronic underfunding of our education system. I will fight for the homeless and tenants’ rights while ensuring property owners and landlords have the resources to stay in place, rehabilitate their properties and build wealth. I will build up pathways for business owners and hopeful entrepreneurs to bring their talents to our local economy, and ensure that when they retire, they can leave their companies in good hands. I will ensure our city leads in efforts to combat climate change, and I will work to make sure every child in the district has a safe and clean park to play in. Finally, I will push city hall so that District One residents have greater control of development in our communities.