Journalist-turned-activist escapes extremists, now works at UNO
"They wanted to throw acid on my sight and they wanted to rape and kill me," Seyyid says
"They wanted to throw acid on my sight and they wanted to rape and kill me," Seyyid says
"They wanted to throw acid on my sight and they wanted to rape and kill me," Seyyid says
From exile to the University of Nebraska at Omaha, or UNO, one journalist-turned-activist is honing her skills and helping women in Sri Lanka.
"To say who I am is a long story," Sharmila Seyyid said.
Seyyid is settling into her new life in Omaha, Nebraska.
"Now, I have more time to focus on myself. I never had a chance to focus on me," Seyyid said.
Seyyid said most of her life was unstable. She was born in Sri Lanka during the 1980s, right as the decades-long civil war started.
"I experienced how the war affected the people. My childhood memories are full of war, crimes and displacement," Seyyid said.
That motivated her to become a journalist but others tried to stifle her career.
"In my community, they are very conservative and they do not allow women to work as journalists or travel alone," Seyyid said.
She persisted.
"I interviewed more than 200 women, victims who were affected by the war. Their stories changed my life to become a writer," Seyyid said.
Her books caught the eye of extremists who would try to silence her.
"They wanted to throw acid on my sight and they wanted to rape and kill me," Seyyid said. "Because I am outspoken and my political opinion and writing and, of course, because I am a woman."
Unknown to Seyyid, thousands of miles away, Curtis Hutt with the University of Nebraska at Omaha's Goldstein Center for Human Rights said they were looking at the Artist Protection Fund.
"There are many artists that need protecting," Hutt said.
For the first time, the school was looking to sponsor someone of its own.
"If you've ever lived in an environment where academic freedom was not protected, you'd understand why people want to come to the United States," Hutt said.
That wouldn't be for a few more years. In the meantime, Seyyid fled to India.
"The things did not change," Seyyid said.
That led her to the Artist Protection Fund and eventually UNO. Since she's been here, she's written three books in five months.
"I feel like this is the great achievement I've made in my life. All the pain and rejections and discrimination I faced changed into power," Seyyid said.
Seyyid said right now, it's not possible for her to go back to Sri Lanka. Though her books shed light on the trauma many there are still facing.