'The Silence Breakers' named Time's Person of the Year
'Galvanizing actions of women on our cover …have unleashed one of the highest-velocity shifts in our culture'
December 06, 2017
Time magazine's 2017 Person of the Year is "The Silence Breakers," – those who came forward with their stories about being victims of pervasive sexual harassment.
The Silence Breakers emerged amid a slew of allegations of sexual misconduct and assault by film executive Harvey Weinstein. The number of people who spoke up to expose dozens of sexual predators including famous individuals in Hollywood, politics, journalism, and other industries increased, as more people came forward to accuse Weinstein.
The individuals who broke their silence to share their stories of victimization gave traction to the #MeToo campaign, which took off on social media and fueled a worldwide discussion on how pressing an issue harassment has been.
One of the women shown only partially on the cover of the magazine is someone who spoke to the publication but "doesn't feel that she can come forward without threatening her livelihood," the magazine's editor-in-chief Edward Felsenthal said, as he revealed the cover on NBC's "TODAY" show.
"The galvanizing actions of the women on our cover … along with those of hundreds of others, and of many men as well, have unleashed one of the highest-velocity shifts in our culture since the 1960s," Felsenthal said in a statement.
The photo also includes activist Adama Iwu, actress Ashley Judd, singer Taylor Swift, strawberry picker Isabel Pascual and former Uber engineer Susan Fowler who came forward with their stories.
"The women and men who have broken their silence span all races, all income classes, all occupations and virtually all corners of the globe," Time said in its story about the cover.
President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping were named as the second and third most influential people, respectively.
The magazine, for nearly a century, has identified the Person of the Year – a person or group that has had the most influence on news.
Others on the list include German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Bill and Melinda Gates.
Being named the person of the year, however, is not an endorsement. The list includes Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin and Iran's Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
