In 2017, TIME Magazine made their Person of the Year the silence breakers, inspirational men and women who have spoken out against the injustice they feel when it comes to sexual harassment and assault. It speaks about people of all races, all income classes and all occupations from celebrities to the average person. I really loved this article because it focused on making the reader feel a sense that we are all in this together.

Even just five years ago, there were very limited resources for women who have experienced sexual assault. If even movie stars are not only a ected by the issue but don’t know where to get for help, I can only imagine how difficult it would be for people who don’t have the money and resources to get the help they need. As stated in the article, “Over the course of six weeks,TIME interviewed dozens of people representing at least as many industries, all of whom had summoned extraordinary personal courage to speak out about sexual harassment at their jobs.”

These TIME silence breakers include Taylor Swift, Ashley Judd, Susan Fowler, Isabel Pascual and Adama Iwu. All of these individuals seemed to have a shared experience. Some described years they endured this vulgarity with lewd comments and inappropriate gropes by their bosses and co-workers. Society makes women wonder if they really were asking for it by dressing or acting a certain way, and almost everyone who experienced this seemed to have a recurring reaction of shame.

I have luckily never experienced this, but many of my close friends have. Sexual abuse goes way beyond the moment it occurs, and it makes it difficult for the individuals to trust in the future. The #MeToo movement sparked a flame that didn’t stop. This movement was a way for women, no matter what race or age, to speak out about their experiences. They were able to have a voice. Women have had it with men in positions of power who cross the boundaries to the point where those boundaries don’t even seem to exist.

In the last two months, the silence breakers have gained strength in their revolution of refusal. The anger of all the women coming together has created a ripple effect. It seems almost every day now that CEO’s of major companies are red, major movie stars’ names are disgraced and criminal charges are faced. is is all due to more and more women feeling the con dence to be able to speak out about the inappropriate behavior they faced over the years. ere have even been marches supporting women’s rights to have the same pay and opportunities as men in the work force.

Everyone deserves to have a voice and speak out against their assailant, whether that person is a janitor, administrative assistant, movie star, artist or hospital worker. Many personal stories are shared in this article, and I found them all to be heartbreaking. The fact that many of these women are treated like objects is astounding to me. If you see any type of harassment, don’t be afraid to use your voice to speak up for someone else. An entire gender should never be at such a disadvantage, and I am so proud of how much our nation is growing with the movement of eradicating this injustice.