Her Story
About Lydia
Lydia York is a veteran of the Army who entered service in 1985 and completed a tour in Korea. She now works as a lobbyist advocating for the passage of veterans legislation, particularly bills addressing military sexual trauma and benefits disparities that have repeatedly stalled before a vote. York was recently commissioned by the Black Veterans Project, a subsidiary of the Yale Veterans Law School, to write a piece for the Dark Green Report anthology told from a Black veteran's point of view; her submission has been approved and is in the editing phase. She conducts extensive research on veterans benefits legislation and is compiling first-person testimony for submission in cases such as Freund v. Collins and Monk v. United States, which address fair allocation of benefits and compensation for veterans including Black veterans since World War II.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Lydia
01What do you attribute your success to?
Perseverance. Never accepting “no” for an answer and never giving up. Looking ahead and having goals, not just for myself, but for my community. Staying hopeful and optimistic, despite many rejections and denials. Being under-estimated, disrespected, disregarded and dismissed gave me fuel to thrive, not just survive.
Our oaths are lifelong. It’s an oath of honor which includes service, so - I’m always looking for an opportunity to help which I found fulfills me as much as it fulfills others. That was a happy, unforeseen benefit which propels me to volunteer even more, now. It’s not about money or tangible benefits, just the pure joy of providing something for nothing.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I’ve ever received was to be flexible.
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