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.
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.