You might not know Kitti Asberry, but if you are a woman in Oklahoma, she has probably changed your life for the better. An advocate for women’s issues at local and state levels since the mid-1980s, she currently serves as the executive director of the Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women, the state’s leading organization dedicated to advancing the rights and opportunities of women. The Commission has gained national attention and awards for its programs to stop human trafficking, as well as its recent work on providing childcare to Oklahoma families. Asberry said, “Many childcare centers were shut down due to COVID. We are working on extending subsidies and benefits so that they can reopen.”
Much of her job is traveling across the state to have conversations with women in their communities, learning what they need most. The Commission partners with providers across the state—agencies, colleges and clubs—to find out what women and children need. They then make informed suggestions to the legislators and to the governor for how to improve women’s lives, helping to craft bills that change lives of Oklahomans.
Asberry has always been an advocate for others—you could say that she was raised to be one. “I was raised to fight for people’s rights; I witnessed both my parents do this,” she said. “They were both part of unions. I saw my dad and his co-workers walk out and protest with the Teamsters Union, and helped my mother prepare food for them while they were protesting.”
She worked at the Oklahoma City General Motors Plant for 27 years as a UAW labor union advocate. “I am passionate about working for anything that is right and best for people,” she said. In 2007, Asberry was nominated vice chair of the State Democratic Party, and Senator Debbie Leftwich asked if she would join the Advisory Council. “I did, and I served there for a number of years. I was the first Black woman to hold this position, and it was Oklahoma’s 100-year anniversary of becoming a state.”
Asberry is also the founder and President of Women Involved N Change (WINC), an organization created to engage women in the art of political activism and community service. “We are focused on engaging women in political activism, community service and leadership development,” she explained. “WINC offers leadership development services, advocacy training and community programs for women, youth and senior citizens. I have found that good changes happen through coordination within the community.”
Her big dreams for the future? Asberry hopes to see more women in leadership positions. “C-Suite level,” she said. “And more business owners, more equality in the state. I would love to see more minorities in leadership—in appointed positions as well those that are elected.”
Her advocacy doesn’t stop at the end of the workday. Asberry is actively involved in volunteer work with multiple nonprofit agencies in Oklahoma City, focusing on the needs of women, minorities and children. She even donates her prize-winning canned goods to various farmers’ markets in Oklahoma to raise money for several nonprofit organizations. She is especially fond of her work with the Girl Scouts of Oklahoma. “Every summer I visit their camp and teach my Girl Boss class. It’s important that they get inspired early,” she said.
Born in Oklahoma, Asberry spent lots of time with her grandparents in Blanchard, where she learned to cook and garden. In high school, her goal was to fly. She planned on being a pilot in the Air Force. She got pregnant in her senior year, which changed her plans a little bit—instead of flying, she has spent her entire life fighting for the rights of others.
Her advice to young women: “Don’t ever give up, even if your plans change or you feel that you have made a mistake. Keep going! You will create something beautiful if you keep going.”
