Leading with Conviction 2019 graduate Rep. Keturah Herron says “life for many in Louisville is largely unchanged three years later [after the police killing of Breonna Taylor].
“‘People in the West End (of Louisville) are still facing food insecurity, housing insecurity,’ she said. ‘It’s hard, I don’t know what the tangible things are that have changed.’ … Herron said she’s seen more tangible change from the protests in Lexington, where Black women swept county offices in 2022, including County Attorney, Commonwealth Attorney, and three Black women now serving on the Fayette Urban County Council. In particular County Attorney Angela Evans crushed incumbent Larry Roberts who refused to drop charges against Black Lives Matter protesters.
“She sees Kentucky’s history, like America’s, as cyclical. We move forward, we go back. As an example, Herron is working on the same kinds of gun violence programs that one of her predecessors, Rep. Eleanor Jordan worked on in 1996.
“‘When you look at the history, we want to talk about the issues, but people don’t want to hear Breonna Taylor’s name anymore,’ she said. ‘Kentuckians have always want to deny their role in racism and slavery and the plight of Black Kentuckians. And poor white Kentuckians.’
“As a new lawmaker, Herron is trying to be pragmatic in working with Republican counterparts, learning to understand the byzantine state budget system, and trying to get more federal dollars to flow for projects like violence reduction.
“‘There’s so much work to do and we just have to keep doing it,’ she said.”
Read more at the Lexington Herald Leader.
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(Photo by Ryan C. Hermens / Lexington Herald Leader)
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