“This reality might not have to be our reality anymore.”
That was the revelation of one of the “Silence Breakers.” Those are the women and men being recognized today as TIME magazine’s “Person of the Year” for speaking up and demanding action on sexual harassment.
What happens when the fearful grip of entrenched behavior and beliefs is broken? You get a glimpse from the video that features the dishwashers and academics and actresses who are TIME’s honorees. It’s in the words they choose: honor, pride. It’s in the recognition that “we don’t have to live like this.” It’s in the validation of being heard and believed. As Jessica Cantlon, an academic, said: Before this moment, “if they couldn’t stop us from talking [about the harassment], they were going to stop everyone from listening to us.”
This moment of reckoning makes some people nervous. As TIME notes, “while anger can start a revolution … it can't negotiate the more delicate dance steps needed for true social change.” But it also makes many people hopeful for the progress that can benefit both women and men in the workplace. As actor Terry Crews, who was sexually assaulted himself, told TIME magazine: “You are teaching people how to treat you.”
And a note about yesterday's delivery. An automated tech process briefly failed, causing Monday's Daily to be sent out in error instead of Tuesday's. We apologize for the disruption, and are glad to report that the problem has been fixed.
Now to our five stories, showing the importance of integrity, persistence, and compassion in addressing local and global challenges.