In 2015, we knew her as Emily Doe. She was the victim in what the world has come to know as the “Stanford Rape Case.” Brock Turner was found guilty of sexual assault and served only three months.
In Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations Podcast, she sits down with Chanel Miller; Chanel has written a book called “Know My Name” and is speaking out about the experience and how her life changed as a result. When Oprah asks her if there was ever a time when Chanel felt like harming herself, to not go on living, this is what Chanel shared:
“I think sometimes, when you are really isolated, you think I’m just going to slip out the back door, the world is going to keep spinning, I can’t be here right now. Then I would think, no that’s not the case – I would always keep coming back to the thought – This can’t be it. This can’t be the ending, or where the story ends. How impossible. Because up until then there were so many things that I enjoyed doing. I enjoyed drawing, I enjoying running. And I knew that self was there and I would look around and wonder what happened to her – I knew she was always there, I just couldn’t figure out how to get back to her. And I would always tell myself, “Even if you have no idea what your future looks like, something is there.”
In her times of hopelessness, Chanel searched for the hope – even when it was momentarily hidden from her. She goes on to speak about leaning into mantras she had learned from her mother about staying open, about learning in order to grow and she would focus on how to do that in even the smallest of ways.
A very poignant episode, an eloquent and well spoken young woman. This podcast is worth your listening time: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/own/oprahs-supersoul-conversations/e/64300304
After the trial was over, Chanel’s (then Emily Doe) 12 page victim impact statement was released, with her permission. It was a powerful read: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jun/06/stanford-sexual-assault-case-victim-impact-statement-in-full
Photo credit: http://Photo by Faris Mohammed on Unsplash
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