Jaisaan Lovett is his school’s first Black valedictorian—but officials refused to let him speak at his graduation. So Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren gave him a bigger platform.

The Bronx-born and raised organizer is on track to represent her community in the House of Representatives—and become the youngest woman to ever serve in Congress.

Drug reform advocates welcome the move, but remain wary of how the state will address criminal justice issues related to legalization.

The mayor and district attorneys promise to limit prosecutions for most offenses, but reform advocates remain weary in absence of codified law.

An estimated 35,000 residents, overwhelmingly Black and Latinx, stand to benefit from Andrew Cuomo’s executive order.