Canary: The Washington Post Investigates · The Washington Post

Chapter 7: "I'll find my joy"

October 1, 2020·30 min·2 clips

Carol Clark describes how walking in heels and a dress helped her recognize that she was coming back to herself.

1. Canary: The Washington Post Investigates, Chapter 7, follows Carol Griffin's return to Marion, Virginia, where she confronts the site connected to her assault at 16. 2. Reporter-host Amy Britton documents Carol's visit and her later meeting with Lauren Clark, whose own experience made the story personal. 3. The chapter shows how reclaiming a story can bring relief without making trauma disappear, as Carol says, “I still feel a little afraid.” 4. Carol revisits the Morrison property after a 400-mile journey, where the missing deck marks the place she said Truman Morrison assaulted her. 5. On the hill, Carol says she feels embarrassed and self-indulgent, then describes her 16-year-old self as still present. 6. Amy observes a subtle shift as Carol walks down the hill, after decades of shame, fear, and depression. 7. In Washington, D.C., Lauren tells Carol that reading the story showed her it was not only her “little private hell.” 8. Lauren says Truman Morrison's light sentence felt dismissive, while Carol describes restoring her “sense of self in the world.” 9. Amy resists a neat ending, saying trauma leaves “wounds and scars” and that steps forward can coexist with steps back. 10. For listeners interested in survivor testimony and investigative reporting.

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Canary: The Washington Post Investigates