To the women of 2017. To TIME’s “Silence Breakers.” To the Olympic gymnasts. To the actresses, politicians, and human beings who said #MeToo. To the teachers, doctors, lawyers, mothers, and daughters who shared their stories.

Thank you.

You were little girls left without childhoods. You were actresses blacklisted by the men who wished to silence you. You were those who were told to put up and shut up. You were those who were told to accept that “boys will be boys.”

But this did not stop you from standing up, and sharing your story. You were told to stay silent. But you didn’t. And because of you, no one else has to say #MeToo.

According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, one in five women and one in 71 men will be raped in their lifetime. 91 percent of the victims of rape and sexual assault are female. And perhaps most shocking, 63 percent of sexual assaults are not reported to police.

You are the women who put the faces to these numbers. The women who remind us that sexual assault is an ongoing issue that deserves to be a part of our conversation.

You know all too well that in eight out of 10 cases of rape, the victims know their attacker.

2017 was a reckoning for your attackers. You said defiantly that you would not be silenced by those who touched you without your permission. That you would never hide your face in shame for something that was not your fault.

You came forward. Despite all the pressures and threats and tension, you came forward and you told your story. And because of you, other women felt comfortable sharing their stories. Because of you, they stood up and said #MeToo. Because of you, the movement is gaining momentum and we are taking actual steps towards ending sexual harassment and violence against women.

You are the women who have been immortalized as the agents of change against sexual assault and how it is treated in our society. You have done more for our country in the six past months than anyone has had the ability to do since the first person had to experience this kind of violence.

You have changed the possible experiences of your children, and your children’s children, and every other child who will never feel silenced by sexual predators. You gave a voice to those who have not yet lost theirs, and you have ignited fear in those who dared to take away the security and dignity of another.

By saying #MeToo, you changed your “me” to a “we.”

And we thank you.