Hollywood sexual assault allegations, natural disasters, and a political divide like none the United States has ever seen dominated 2017. But not everything that happened in 2017 was terrible. A lot of groups that have previously been targeted gained a lot of ground. Here, I take a look at some of the happiest and most inspirational headline-makers that happened in 2017.
4April
April 16th: The world record for the largest gathering of Charlie Chaplin lookalikes – 662 people – took place in Switzerland. Amidst turbulent times, people were still able to find humor and joy while embracing one of film’s most prominent figures.
April 19th: Fox News announced they were letting go of Bill O’Reilly after sexual assault allegations. While O’Reilly’s actions are condemnable, the fact that the news organization took action started a chain reaction. Now, sexual harassment of any kind is not being swept aside anywhere. Allegations regularly circulated through the news in the latter portion of the year, and people see O’Reilly’s sacking as the precursor to a new level of intolerance for sexual harassment.