To every single female who has been sexually assaulted in one way or another, congratulations. You have been named as TIME’s person of the year.

There’s no doubt that 2017 has been a year of radical mind shifts, and to reflect on the most significant, TIME honoured “The Silence Breakers”, the global movement by millions of women who continue to share their stories of sexual harassment and abuse, reports The Guardian:

Time said it was conveying the award not just to the women who sparked the #MeToo movement on social media but to the uncountable women and men whose private actions and public bravery drove the culture to its current tipping point.

“It doesn’t have a leader, or a single, unifying tenet,” reads Time’s cover story. “The women and men who have broken their silence span all races, all income classes, all occupations and virtually all corners of the globe. They might labor in California fields, or behind the front desk at New York City’s regal Plaza Hotel, or in the European parliament. They’re part of a movement that has no formal name. But now they have a voice.”

Announced yesterday on NBC’s Today show, which just last week fired Matt Lauer over sexual assault and harassment claims, host Savannah Guthrie acknowledged that this year’s winner hits “close to home” and even mentioned Lauer by name.

Here’s a look at the cover:

Time’s Person of the Year cover features Susan Fowler, a former Uber employee whose blog post about Silicon Valley sexism led to the departure of CEO Travis Kalanick; “Isabel Pascual”, a pseudonymous agricultural worker who has been stalked and harassed by her boss; and Adama Iwu, a corporate lobbyist who inspired dozens of women to expose sexual harassment in California’s state capitol.

There was also Ashley Judd, who was among the first women to accuse Weinstein of sexual harassment and Taylor Swift, who was celebrated for her testimony against a former DJ who she accused of groping. Just out of frame – only her arm is visible – is a hospital worker who wished to represent those who can’t speak out.

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

Among the many women featured inside Time’s story is Tarana Burke, the #MeToo movement’s creator. The women’s rights activist coined the term while working with sexual violence survivors more than a decade ago, although she has not always received full recognition.

“This is just the start. I’ve been saying from the beginning it’s not just a moment, it’s a movement,” Burke said on Wednesday. “Now the work really begins.”

The women who broke their silence were selected ahead of last year’s Person of the Year, President Donald Trump, and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Fucking A.

[source:theguardian]