Lydia Edwards Endorsed by Community Activists

Special to the Transcript

In the special election to the State Senate, Lydia Edwards has been endorsed by: Monique Nguyen, Executive Director of the Matahari Women Workers’ Center; Lenita Reason, Workers’ Rights Executive Director, Brazilian Worker Center; and Gladys Vega, Executive Director, La Colaborativa. Primary Election Day is December 14, 2021. General Election Day is January 11, 2022.

“Lydia and I worked hand-in-hand to secure the Massachusetts Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, and that was only the beginning of our advocacy work together,” said Monique Nguyen. “Over the decade of knowing Lydia, she has consistently stood up for and help empower the people who need it: exploited workers, immigrant families fighting deportation, people facing displacement from their homes, and countless others. Lydia will be a visionary and effective champion in the Senate and I’m proud to endorse her candidacy.”

Of Lydia, Lenita Reason said: “Long before she was elected to office, Lydia was honored by the Brazilian Worker Center as a Community Peacemaker for her work helping domestic workers secure job stability and fair benefits. That’s the difference with Lydia: She shows up and does the work, not for headlines or her own benefit. She helps people because that’s what drives her, and I know she’ll have an even greater population to lift up when she is elected to the state senate.”

“Lydia Edwards has been a fearless advocate for people who need affordable housing, for homeowners who are struggling to make ends meet, and as she made important changes to the zoning code,” said Vega. “In her role as a Boston City Councilor, I worked closely with Lydia on issues of climate change and environmental justice. She is the person who has what it takes to make strong policy for Massachusetts.”

Prior to entering the City Council, Councilor Edwards worked extensively in the legal field serving as a judicial law clerk with the Massachusetts Superior Court and the Massachusetts Appeals Court. Edwards 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. She served as the statewide campaign coordinator for the Massachusetts Coalition for Domestic Workers, which advocated for the passage of the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights. In 2015, she was named Bostonian of the Year by the Boston Globe. 

Lydia Edwards is a candidate for State Senate representing the First Suffolk and Middlesex District, following the departure of Senator Joseph A. Boncore. For a full and up-to-date list of endorsements, visit: LydiaEdwards.org/endorsements.

Councilor Lydia Edwards is a career advocate, activist, and voice on behalf of society’s most vulnerable. She is currently the Chair of the Committee on Government Operations and the Committee on Housing and Community Development in the Boston City Council. Learn more at LydiaEdwards.org/meet-lydia.