TW: Sexual Violence
Chanel Miller, the bestselling author of “Know My Name,” joined PAVE-UW for a Zoom Q&A Monday night.
Miller, anonymous at the time, was at the center of a high-profile rape case in 2016. The trial made headlines when her assailant was sentenced to only six months in jail after his father infamously said prison would be “a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action.”
In 2019, Miller gave up her anonymity and released a memoir titled “Know My Name” in which she candidly shared her experiences with her assault and the aftermath. The book quickly became a New York Times’ best seller and was well-received by critics and readers alike.
Miller kicked off the event by reading a striking passage about her decision to come forward as the victim from the afterword of her book and then took questions submitted by the audience for the remainder of the hour.
She answered questions about her writing and healing processes and how they worked together. She talked about how writing her story and sharing it with the world allowed her to fully take control of the narrative and show the realities of being a survivor of sexual assault. Miller explained she felt it was important for her to tell her story and urged others to do the same saying, “Just because you’ve been shut down 10 times doesn’t mean you have nothing to say.”
She also spoke about coping with isolation during quarantine and accepting the way you’re feeling.
“You should value the gravity of the experiences you’ve lived,” Miller said.
She emphasized the importance of taking care of yourself and checking in with your emotions.
PAVE (Promoting Awareness Victim Empowerment) is a student organization that works to raise awareness for and end sexual assault, intimate partner violence and stalking. Because April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, PAVE-UW is hosting many events throughout the month to promote awareness. A full lineup of the events is available on their website.
