TIME names 'The Silence Breakers' as 2017 Person of the Year

Demonstrators participate in the #MeToo Survivors' March in response to several high-profile sexual harassment scandals on November 12, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (David McNew/Getty Images)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – TIME has named The Silence Breakers, a group of voices behind the #MeToo movement, as its 2017 Person of the Year.

The movement, focused on bringing to light the epidemic of sexual harassment and assault across the country, has quickly become the story of the year.

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The selection comes after a series of high-profile figures, such as broadcasters Matt Lauer and Charlie Rose and media moguls Harvey Weinstein and Russell Simmons, have been brought down by a wave of complaints alleging sexual harassment and assault.

These complaints sparked a movement that encouraged victims of harassment and abuse to come forward and share their workplace experiences without fear of retribution -- in many cases, in industries dominated over the years by a culture of secrecy.

The magazine's editor-in-chief, Edward Felsenthal, unveiled the cover, which features actress Ashley Judd, singer Taylor Swift and former Uber engineer Susan Fowler, on NBC's Today show Wednesday morning, saying the movement has triggered a major cultural shift.

"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," said Felsenthal.

The runner-up, by the way, was none other than President Donald Trump.