:Kalyn Free

{{Infobox officeholder

|name = Kalyn Free

|birth_date = {{birth year and age|1963|11}}

|birth_place = Red Oak, Oklahoma, U.S.

|death_date =

|death_place =

|party = Democratic

|spouse = {{marriage|Steve Bruner|2009}}

|education = Southeastern Oklahoma State University (BA)
University of Oklahoma (JD)

}}

Kalyn Cherie Free (born November 1963) is an American attorney,{{Cite web|url=https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/2004/07/17/kalyn-free/61981845007/|title=Kalyn Free|website=The Oklahoman}} former elected district attorney, and a tribal citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. She is the first woman and Native American to be elected district attorney in Oklahoma. Free represents Oklahoma as the National Committeeperson on the Democratic National Committee (DNC).

Early life and education

Free was born in Red Oak, Oklahoma. She is a graduate of Red Oak High School, Southeastern Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma College of Law.{{Cite news|url=http://www.mcalesternews.com/news/local_news/kalyn-free-steve-bruner-wed-in-tulsa-ceremony/article_d8f1e3b3-dce8-53bd-b6cc-b9b53ddcf310.html|title=Kalyn Free, Steve Bruner wed in Tulsa ceremony|work=McAlester News-Capital |date=September 12, 2014 |orig-date=December 5, 2009 |access-date=2017-05-20|language=en}} She is a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.{{cite journal|last=Podgers|first=James|title=Eloquent, as Usual|date=April 2000|journal=ABA Journal|volume=86|number=4|publisher=American Bar Association|location=Chicago|page=98|jstor=27841133}}

Career

= Legal work =

After she graduated from law school, she began her legal career with the United States Department of Justice.{{Cite book |last=Tebo |first=Margaret Graham |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J3Wa_yJIdtsC&pg=PA102 |title=Collecting Good Advice: Minority women lawyers speak as mentors in new book |date=March 2000 |publisher=American Bar Association |language=en}}{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/henryetta-daily-free-lance-kalyn-free-an/170440825/ |title=Kalyn Free announces bid for U.S. Congress |date=October 17, 2003 |work=Henryetta Daily Free-Lance |via=newspapers.com }} At the time of her employment, she was the youngest attorney ever hired by the Department of Justice.{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=umIsAQAAMAAJ |title=Indian Gaming |date=2004 |publisher=Public Gaming Research Institute |language=en}} There, Free prosecuted federal environmental laws across the country with a special emphasis on tribal lands and became the first Native American to serve as a supervising attorney in the department.{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eJGtsXCeZRgC |title=United States Attorneys Bulletin |date=1995 |publisher=Executive Office for United States Attorneys. |language=en}}{{Cite book |last=Zombory |first=Chris |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qLynblGuW2gC&pg=PA102 |title=Heaping on the Honors: ABA awards recognize contributions to justice system |year= 2000 |publisher=American Bar Association |language=en}}

In 1998, she ran for and became the first woman and the first Native American to be elected District Attorney in the counties of Pittsburg and Haskell in Oklahoma. During her administration, She prioritized cases involving women, children, and crime victims' rights.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/tulsa-world-district-attorney-fights-for/170440440/ |title=District attorney fights for rights of victims |first=Jason |last=Collington |date=April 23, 2001 |work=Tulsa World |via=newspapers.com }} In 2000, she received a Spirit of Excellence Award from the American Bar Association.{{cite journal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D8Lwu12jFR4C&pg=PA88 |title=Toward a Diverse Profession |date=February 2000 |first=Robert A. |last=Stein |journal=ABA Journal |page=88 |access-date=April 16, 2025 }}

= Politics =

In 2004, she was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the open House seat in the 2nd Congressional District, with the support of Emily's List, the Sierra Club, and 21st Century Democrats. She lost the nomination to the eventual general election winner, Congressman Dan Boren.{{Cite web|title=The New Members of the House|url=https://www.rollcall.com/2004/11/05/the-new-members-of-the-house/|access-date=2020-12-03|website=Roll Call|date=November 5, 2004|language=en}}

In 2005, Free founded INDN's List (Indigenous Native Democratic Network), a political action committee dedicated to electing Native American progressive candidates at the local and state levels.{{cite news |url=https://ictnews.org/archive/indns-list-founder-kalyn-free-indns-list-celebrates-success-after-first-election-cycles-results-come-in |title=INDN’s List founder Kalyn Free - INDN’s List celebrates success after first election cycle’s results come in |last=Daffron |first=Brian |date=November 22, 2006 |work=Indian Country Today |location=Oneida, N.Y. |id={{Proquest|362625662}} }} She personally funded the organization until its closure in 2010. During the 2008 U.S. presidential election, Free endorsed Barack Obama and served as a superdelegate.{{cite web |url=https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/obama-campaign-press-release-dnc-superdelegate-indns-list-founder-and-usw-united |title=Obama Campaign Press Release - DNC Superdelegate, INDN's List Founder and USW (United Steelworkers) Associate Member Kalyn Free Endorses Senator Barack Obama for U.S. President |website=The American Presidency Project |date=May 5, 2008 |access-date=April 19, 2025 }}

In 2019, Free was elected as the Democratic Party of Oklahoma's national committeewoman to the Democratic National Committee.{{Cite web |last=Shelden |first=Darla |date=2019-08-22 |title=Oklahoma Democratic Party elects Kalyn Free as new National Committeewoman |url=https://www.citynewsokc.com/criminal_justice/oklahoma-democratic-party-elects-kalyn-free-as-new-national-committeewoman/article_cb2f54d8-b0dd-5a27-97c4-506966102ac5.html |access-date=2025-02-02 |website=Oklahoma City Sentinel |language=en}} Following the 2024 elections, Free announced her candidacy for Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). However, she was unsuccessful, with Artie Blanco, Malcolm Kenyatta, and David Hogg winning the positions.{{Cite news |last=Tomasello |first=Adrianna |date=2025-02-02 |title=DNC Members Elect New Slate of DNC Officers – Democrats |url=https://democrats.org/news/dnc-members-elect-new-slate-of-dnc-officers/ |access-date=2025-02-02 |work=Democrats |language=en-US}} Free filed a complaint against this election, alleging the combined vote of Hogg and Kenyatta ultimately disadvantaged female candidates such as herself. On May 12, 2025, the Credentials Committee of the DNC voted to void the results.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/12/us/politics/david-hogg-dnc-democrats.html|title=D.N.C. Takes Step to Void Election of Hogg and Kenyatta as Vice Chairs|last=Goldmacher|first=Shane|date=May 12, 2025|access-date=May 13, 2025|website=The New York Times}}

= Writings =

She contributed a letter in 2000 to the book Dear Sisters, Dear Daughters: Words of Wisdom from Multicultural Women Attorneys Who've Been There and Done That, where she wrote she was told by men they would never vote for an American Indian woman.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/tulsa-world-free-recalls-facing-redneck/170449023/ |title=Free recalls facing redneck attitudes |date=July 21, 2004 |work=Tulsa World |first=Jim |last=Myers |via=newspapers.com }} In 2007, Free contributed a chapter titled Why? Rising to the Challenge to the book Voices from the Heartland, where she reflects on her career and experiences as a Native American.{{cite book |last=Free |first=Kalyn |chapter=Why? Rising to the Challenge |pages=75-81 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Voices_from_the_Heartland/bgvwzP9QwhYC?hl=en&gbpv=1 |editor-last1=Taylor |editor-first1=Carolyn Anne |editor-last2=Dial-Driver |editor-first2=Emily |editor-last3=Carole |editor-first3=Burrage |editor-last4=Emmons-Featherston |editor-first4=Sally |title=Voices from the Heartland | publisher=University of Oklahoma Press | publication-place=Norman |date=2007 |isbn=978-0-8061-3858-9 }}

She also contributed a chapter What Is a Girl Like You Doing in a Place Like This to volume II in 2019.{{cite book |last=Free |first=Kalyn |chapter=What Is a Girl Like You Doing in a Place Like This |editor-last1=Beam |editor-first1=Sara |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Voices_from_the_Heartland/h36mDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1 |title=Voices from the Heartland: Volume II |editor-last2=Dial-Driver |editor-first2=Emily |editor-last3=Askew |editor-first3=Rilla |editor-last4=Evusa |editor-first4=Juliet |year=2019 |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |isbn=978-0-8061-6580-6 |language=en}}