TIME has named the Silence Breakers as its 2017 Person of the Year. The Magazine's editor-in-chief revealed the selection Wednesday on NBC's "Today" show.
The Silence Breakers are TIME's Person of the Year 2017 #TIMEPOY https://t.co/mLgNTveY9z pic.twitter.com/GBo9z57RVG
— TIME (@TIME) December 6, 2017
The title honors the individuals who set off a national reckoning over the prevalence of sexual harassment. The cover features a group photo that includes singer Taylor Swift, actress Ashley Judd, and former Uber engineer Susan Fowler.
The Silence Breakers emerged after allegations of sexual harassment by producer Harvey Weinstein were reported. As dozens of women accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct, more individuals spoke up to expose dozens of other powerful men in Hollywood, journalism, and politics as sexual predators.
Actor Kevin Spacey, comedian Louis CK, CBS' Charlie Rose and NBC's Matt Lauer were among high-profile names accused of sexual harassment.
"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 men and women who broke their silence to share their stories of sexual assault and harassment led to online #MeToo campaign, fueling a worldwide discussion on how prevalent sexual harassment is. The hashtag has been used millions of times in at least 85 countries, according to Felsenthal.
TIME's Person of the Year issue will be on newsstands on Friday.
