I Should Have Honor (Brohi) - Author Bio

Author Bio
• Birth—October 10, 1988
• Raised—Balochistan Province, Pakistan
• Education—Karachi University
• Currently—lives in Pakistan and Sedona, Arizona, USA


Khalida Brohi is a Pakistani activist for women's rights and a social entrepreneur. She is also the author of I Should Have Honor: A Memoir of Hope and Pride in Pakistan, published in 2018.

The first girl in her village to go to school, Brohi was educated in Karachi. When she was 16, and still in Karachi, her 14-year-old cousin became a victim of an honor killing: her cousin's only crime was to fall in love with a young man other than the one her parents had betrothed her to.

Brohi began to publicly protest the cultural tradition of honor killings—a protest that went viral, attracting international attention and angering tribal leaders. In 2008, Khalida left Karachi.

In the process, Brohi founded the Sughar Empowerment Society to help women in Pakistan learn skills related to economic and personal growth. (Sughar is Urdu for a skilled, confident woman.) The Society challenges perceptions of women from within the culture it seeks to change.

By 2013, there were 23 Sughar centers, serving hundreds of women in small Pakistani villages. The women make their own money by selling hand-made embroidery work to the fashion industry. At the same time, they learn about preventing domestic violence, the importance of educating girls, and expanding women's rights.

The year 2014 proved a banner year for Brohi. Forbes included her in its "30 under 30" list, she was invited to join a cohort of fellows with the Media Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She was also the subject of a documentary, Seeds of Change, and in October of that same year Brohi gave a TED talk at TED Global discussing her activism.

Although she has received worldwide praise for her work, Brohi has been the subject of violent threats on her life, including shooting and bombing.

Brohi is married to David Barron, and the two spend their time between Pakistan and Sedona, Arizona, in the U.S., where the couple runs The Chai Spot. Fifty percent of their profits go toward micro grants and scholarships for children. (Adapted from Wikipedia. Retrieved 2/14/2018.)

Listen to the author's interview by Terry Gross.