The 2021-22 Lecture Series began with abduction survivor Elizabeth Smart. On Thursday, Nov. 11, Elizabethtown College students, faculty, staff and community members flocked to Leffler Chapel and Performance Center to hear her speak.
Smart discussed her story, specifically providing details about being abducted, the healing process and how the trauma currently affects her.
Smart attended other events on campus for students to meet her, including eating lunch at the Marketplace and conversing with a small group in Hoover 110. Students who signed up to attend the lecture were invited to these other opportunities.
Smart was abducted on Wednesday, June 5, 2002, when she was just 14-years-old, from her home in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Her captors threatened to kill her or her family if she attempted to escape. Smart said that she felt the responsibility of keeping herself and her loved ones safe; she believed that her kidnappers were capable of murder.
“My captors were not nice people… They became, what felt like, invincible… I became very aware of what they were capable of and… when they [told] me things like ‘If you run’ or ‘If you scream’… ‘We will kill you, and if we don’t kill you, we will kill your family’… Those threats were very real. I absolutely do believe they were capable of that,” Smart said.
Smart revealed how specifically being raped and abused affected her emotionally.
“In my experience, it made me feel very alone, very ashamed… It made me feel like I wasn’t as good as everyone else,” Smart said.
After nine months of captivity, Smart was found on Wednesday, March 12, 2003.
Determined to help others, she now aspires to make a difference with child abduction, recovery programs and prevention of abduction.
Smart created the Elizabeth Smart Foundation and promoted the National AMBER Alert and Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act.
She is an author as well, sharing her experiences in her book, “My Story.” Smart recently debuted another novel titled “Where There’s Hope,” which focuses on the healing process of traumatic experiences.
Originally, it was not easy for Smart to talk about her experiences; however, after years of healing, she wanted others to hear the true story.
“I’m pretty sure, my parents could tell you, that I swore up and down that I was actually never going to speak about what happened… But when my case finally went to trial, it was about eight years after I had been rescued… By that point in time, I was an adult and I… remember thinking that I just want this to be done,” Smart explained.
Smart does not have remorse over any choice she made during her kidnapping.
“In my experience, everything that I had did, I had done to survive. And looking back, if there had been an opportunity to be rescued sooner, of course I would’ve wanted to take it… But that being said, I don’t regret a single decision that I made because I’m still alive,” she said.
Smart’s decision to share her story has left others in awe.
Junior Elizabeth Brown attended the lecture and was shocked to hear what she went through.
“Elizabeth Smart’s lecture illustrated how truly devastating her abduction story was for her and her family. Her detailed account left many wondering how such a terrible event could take place,” Brown explained.
She continued and described how hearing Smart’s lecture left her inspired.
“Despite her story, she spread her message of resilience and hope to all of us. Instead of dwelling on the past, [Smart] inspired me to grow despite life’s challenges and traumas. Her encouraging words left me grateful for the love and support in my life because those are the tools that kept her alive,” Brown said.
The 2021-22 Elizabethtown College Lecture Series continues with MSNBC Political Analyst Michael Eric Dyson. His lecture will be on Thursday, Dec. 2 at 7:30 p.m. in the Leffler Chapel and Performance Center.
