24 to watch in 2024: A Lexington native traces the history of city’s housing — good and bad
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24 to watch in 2024
The Lexington Herald-Leader is profiling 24 individuals this month that you should be keeping an eye on in 2024. The selected group represents a cross-section of industries, political parties, missions and the state itself.
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The Lexington Herald-Leader is profiling 24 individuals this month that you should be keeping an eye on in 2024. The selected group represents a cross-section of industries, political parties, missions and the state itself. We believe each is notable for their contributions to Kentucky, as well as their plans for the next 12 months.
Who: Kristen LaRue Bond, co-founder of the Bluegrass chapter of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers.
Background: As a Lexington native who now practices real estate here, LaRue Bond has known all her life how much home ownership helped Black residents attain economic capital and how much the inverse could hurt.
It’s why she helped restart the local chapter of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers, a Black organization formed because Black realtors used to be prohibited from joining white realtor groups. It’s also why she was captivated by the recent online project “Segregated Lexington,” about our city’s history of redlining.
Why 2024 will be a notable year: Bond has now helped start a nonprofit group, Black Yarn, to turn that project into a documentary. As president of Black Yarn, Bond will be focused on fundraising and education to get the film made, in addition to her realty work and other civic projects.
Why will she be successful in 2024? “I’m eager to see where Kristen leads this year,” said Rona Roberts, co-creator of Segregated Lexington. “Her remarkable energy and love for this community are really going to shine in her work on the documentary about segregation.”
Why is 2024 such an important year for you or your organization? “We have a lot of movement going on with housing and affordable housing for everyone so we want to keep that steam and momentum going,” she said. “This is a way to shine a light on the history of Black land and wealth and how Lexington was able to build a strong middle class.”
This story was originally published January 14, 2024 at 10:00 AM.
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