Crystal D. Peoples-Stokes is the Assembly Majority Leader representing New York's 141st Assembly District in Buffalo since 2003. Born on December 22, 1951, and raised in Buffalo, she is the daughter of a schoolteacher and a sanitation worker, known for her advocacy on equity, criminal justice reform, and community development.

Education

Peoples-Stokes attended Buffalo Public Schools and earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and a Master's in Student Personnel Administration from Buffalo State College. She also received an Honorary Doctorate from Medaille College in 2017.

Political Experience

She began her career as a brief schoolteacher, then worked at the Buffalo Urban League and Citizen Action of NY. Peoples-Stokes served on the Erie County Legislature from 1993 to 2002, including as Majority Leader from 1998. Elected to the New York State Assembly in 2003, she became Majority Leader in December 2018. Notable positions include Chair of the Assembly Committee on Governmental Operations , overseeing ethics, homeland security, and human rights, and Chair of the bipartisan New York State Legislative Women’s Caucus .

Key achievements: Sponsored and passed the 2019 law decriminalizing minor marijuana possession and expunging records; led the 2021 Marijuana Regulation & Taxation Act legalizing adult-use cannabis with equity licensing and reinvestment in communities of color; authored bills adding nurses to schools, cleaning toxic sites, and funding community projects.