Albany, NY– On June 8th, it was announced that Assemblymember Crystal Peoples-Stokes was elected as the new Chairwoman of the Legislative Women’s Caucus of New York State. Assemblymember Peoples-Stokes will replace former Chair, Assemblymember Donna A. Lupardo of the 123rd District.

The Legislative Women’s Caucus of NYS was founded in 1983 when there were only five female Senators and sixteen female Assemblymembers in the legislature. Since its inception, the members of the Women’s Caucus have worked to support both houses of the legislature from both sides of the aisle to increase the participation of women in government and to advocate for issues that directly impact women in New York State. Today, the state legislature boasts forty-five female legislators, the most ever in its history. The first women elected to the legislature were Ida Sammis and Mary Lilly, both in 1919. The first African-American woman elected to legislature was Bessie A. Buchanan in 1955.

When addressing the Caucus, Assemblymember Peoples-Stokes paid homage to New York suffragette Susan B. Anthony and unveiled her plans to improve the lives of women during her two year term stating, “I would like to focus our attention and energy on increasing female entrepreneurship and minority and women-owned businesses.” The Assemblymember plans to address this issue by creating opportunities for improving financial literacy and access to capital for female entrepreneurs, streamlining the Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises certification process, and facilitating female mentorships along with encouraging a “tech-savvy” approach toward business operations. Additionally, Peoples-Stokes plans to further improve access to employment by seeking fully-funded day care services statewide through the 2018-2019 state budget process.

Assemblymember Peoples-Stokes is honored to be voted as the Chairwoman of the Women’s Caucus and plans to “remain grateful and focused on [the Caucus’s] mission as we walk through our journey together.”