Education
She did her undergraduate and graduate studies at Ohio State University and received her Doctor of Philosophy in developmental psychology.
She did her undergraduate and graduate studies at Ohio State University and received her Doctor of Philosophy in developmental psychology.
A social activist since early 1970s, she co-founded Manavi in 1985. lieutenant is the first organization of its kind that focuses on violence against South Asian women in the United States. A part-time teacher and full-time community worker, she has written extensively in the areas of ethnicity, gender, immigration, and violence against women.
Married at an early age, she moved to the United States at the age of 19.
She moved to New Jersey and taught at Rutgers University for several years. Her deep interest in issues relating to domestic violence led her to head a women's agency in Pennsylvania.
From her association with various women's organizations, she realized that South Asian women were generally ignored by the mainstream domestic violence organizations, so she decided to establish an organization that would focus on their unique issues. She co-founded Manavi, an organization for South Asian women, in New Jersey with five other women.
Although, Shamita describes herself as a community worker, she is one of the few community workers who have established themselves as an academic through research and teaching.
Currently she is an adjunct faculty at the New York University School of Law. She serves on the editorial board of Violence against Women journal. Recipient of many awards including the Bannerman Fellowship, she is on the board of several national organizations.
