"The Silence Breakers" of the #MeToo movement, who gave a voice to sexual assault and harassment survivors — and showed them that they are not alone — is Time's 2017 Person of the Year, the magazine revealed exclusively Wednesday morning on "Today."
While the concept of #MeToo was started in 2006 by activist Tarana Burke, its use became part of the national conversation in October after celebrities on social media used it to share their own sexual abuse stories in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal. The wave of stories prompted people from all walks of life to add their voice to the movement.
TIME Person of the Year
Time Person of the Year of 2017. The cover features actress Ashley Judd, singer Taylor Swift, corporate lobbyist Adama Iwu, worker Isabel Pascual and former Uber engineer Susan Fowler. TIME
"I could never imagine this, I could never have envisioned something that could change the world," Burke told "Today" alongside actress Alyssa Milano, who says she was also sexually harassed and helped bring the #MeToo hashtag to a wider audience.
"As women we have to support each other and stand up and say, 'No more,'" Milano said.
Time's cover story features some of the women who spoke out against Weinstein, the former Hollywood movie producer who resigned from his studio in October and faces more than 80 sexual misconduct allegations dating back to the 1970s.