Writer and Artist Chanel Miller on Surviving, Identity, and Activism

Writer, artist, and survivor Chanel Miller discusses becoming a public figure and advocate. The press referred to her as Emily Doe in covering the sexual assault case against a Stanford University athlete in 2015. Four years after, Miller reclaimed her story when she published "Know My Name: A Memoir."

In the interview, Miller describes finding support as a survivor and notes the pride that she found in speaking out. Creating art has been essential to Miller's journey of healing. Art is a means of self-expression and a way to find inspiration in the everyday.

Miller and podcast host Kendall Ciesemier also talk about racial injustice and the need to reform the criminal justice system for the sake of survivors. Miller reflects on the racism she faces as an Asian American woman. She says that those experiences have aided her in being an ally in instances of anti-Black racism.

And I think in coming forward, I'm not only coming forward to tell you that I have been assaulted, I'm coming forward to have the public acknowledge who I am and how far I've come. And I think, again, that piece is really essential. That's not just a sad story, but it's a it's a celebration to just recognize the fact that I'm still here and that even though so much damage had been done and I've changed in irreversible ways, some of those changes are positive in that I the public has taught me how valuable I am.

SOURCE: ACLU: At Liberty Podcast • AUTHOR: Kendall Ciesemier • LAST UPDATED: March 25, 2021