Kalyn Free

Kalyn Free is an American attorney, former political candidate, and a tribal member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.

Early legal and political career

Free was born in Red Oak, Oklahoma, and after she graduated from law school she began her legal career by going to work for the United States Department of Justice; she was the youngest attorney ever hired by the DOJ. Later, in 1998, she ran for and became the first Native American woman ever to be elected a District Attorney in Oklahoma. During her administration, she focused her efforts on fighting for women, children, and crime victim's rights.

In 2004, she was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the open House seat in the 2^nd Congressional District, with the support of Emily's List, the Sierra Club, and 21^st Century Democrats. She lost the nomination to the eventual general election winner, Congressman Dan Boren.

Recent work

Kalyn established the very first political action committee devoted to electing Native American candidates at the local and state level, INDN's List [http://www.indnslist.org] (Indigenous Native Democratic Network). An avid runner, Kalyn has participated in several marathons. Kalyn has an abiding interest in Japan and has represented the United States on trips to Japan sponsored by the American Council of Young Political Leaders. Kalyn and some friends and family capped her latest trip to Japan by climbing Mt. Fuji.

As part of her efforts to give Native Americans a greater voice in the political arena, Kalyn has created www.PrezOnTheRez.org, which invited Presidential candidates to meet and address the concerns of indigenous peoples.

ee also

* Politics of Oklahoma
* Oklahoma Democratic Party
* Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

External links

* [http://indnslist.org/Kalyn_Free Kalyn Free homepage]
* [http://www.choctawnation.com/ Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma homepage]