ABOUT US
EquityPAC calls out injustice, exposes unfairness, and helps elect candidates who are committed to equity – because when we prioritize equity, we provide opportunity. Together, we can give people the resources they need to lift up their communities for generations to come.
We draw inspiration from the Adinkra symbol of cooperation and interdependence, “Boa Me Na We Boa,” translated to “I help you, you help me, together we build.” We believe that providing people with opportunities to build generational wealth and resources to teach their children and community how to grow with them is the best way to achieve true equity.
Our Founder, Majority Leader
Crystal Peoples-Stokes
Crystal D. Peoples-Stokes has represented New York State’s 141st Assembly district since 2003. In January 2019, she was elevated to become the Majority Leader of the State Assembly, becoming the first woman and the first African American to hold the position in the state’s history.
As a former educator, Peoples-Stokes has made education a top priority during her years of public service. She has championed community schools and diversity in education, and many initiatives that address social inequities. Thanks to her efforts, NYS recently announced a $1 billion investment to correct a legacy of injustice caused by the Kensington Expressway in Buffalo.
She has spent her career fighting tirelessly to address mass incarceration for marijuana offenses – and in March 2021, she passed the Marijuana Tax and Regulation Act, ending 90 years of prohibition in New York State. She also set a new precedent for marijuana legalization by ensuring that social justice was a priority from the onset of this historic legislation.
Majority Leader Peoples-Stokes’s district includes sections of North Buffalo, Allentown, Larkinville, the downtown central business district, and much of Buffalo’s historic East Side.
New York should be a place where equity is our bedrock. But there is not equity in education, or in the air we breathe and water we drink and if we are not careful implementing legalized cannabis, we won’t have economic equity in this new industry.
My initiative, EquityPAC, will address injustices and tell the truth about our inequities in Education, the Environment, and the Cannabis Industry so we can level the field for all New Yorkers.”
Crystal Peoples-Stokes | New York State Assembly Majority Leader