Public Interest Attorney Lydia Edwards Announces Her Run for State Senate

East Boston advocate for domestic workers, working families, immigrants and the disabled launches campaign

Boston, MA – Lydia Edwards, a public interest attorney and union member at Greater Boston Legal Services and East Boston resident, has announced that she is running for State Senator for the First Suffolk and Middlesex district. State Senator Anthony Petruccelli (D-East Boston), announced earlier this month that he will be stepping down to take another job. “I applaud Senator Petruccelli for his incredible leadership serving the neighborhoods in Boston, Revere, Winthrop and Cambridge since 2007, and his two decades of public service in city and state government. I was proud to work closely with Senator Petruccelli over the past 2 years to pass the bi-partisan Domestic Workers’ Rights bill, which he was the lead Senate sponsor, to provide increased worker protection and better wages to thousands of domestic workers across Massachusetts. I look forward to continuing his work advocating for working families.”

Edwards is currently an Equal Justice Fellow for Greater Boston Legal Services, where she represents and advocates for workers’ rights. Her work includes addressing labor trafficking, access to unemployment insurance, fighting for back wages, and implementing the domestic workers bill of rights law. Previously, she worked for the Brazilian Workers Center, providing legal services for immigrant workers and opened the nation’s first legal clinic dedicated to domestic workers.  She also worked for the National Domestic Workers Alliance. In 2015, Edwards was twice profiled in the Boston Globe’s business section for her advocacy on behalf of domestic workers. Edwards is also a proud member of the UAW (United Auto Workers) Union Local 2320.

Lydia lives with her husband, Rogerio Mauriz, in East Boston. Edwards, passionate about helping all workers, is a board member of the Boston Independent Living Center (BCIL), was named as a Super Lawyer 2015 for Legal Services, is one of the 2015 National Law Journal Rising Star committee’s top 40 attorneys under 40 in the Boston region, is a Sustainable Economies Law Center Fellow, and recently received a Racial Justice Fellowship to provide legal services for low income individuals interested in forming cooperative businesses. She is a graduate of American University School of Law, and received an LLM from Boston University School of Law.

Edwards said, “I’m passionate about my work, and helping workers from all walks of life. Being a homeowner in East Boston, and attending dozens of community meetings across the city, I see every week the struggles of thousands of citizens of Boston, Cambridge, Revere and Winthrop. I’m running for State Senator for the First Suffolk and Middlesex district to build upon my work on behalf of working families for the past six years. I have a deep understanding of the interconnected issues facing our community, including inequality, immigrants’ rights, affordable housing, racial justice, women’s rights, workers’ empowerment, and helping every neighborhood thrive.”

In addition to being a board member of the Boston Independent Living Center, Edwards is a Democrat, member of the Women’s Bar Association, Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association, NAACP, and the National Lawyers Guild. Edwards, who has established a campaig

Lydia Edwards

Lydia Edwards

n committee, will be reaching out to elected officials, community leaders, and residents between now and the end of the year, and is planning a campaign kick-off for the beginning of 2016.

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