A year ago today, many of us were left feeling shocked, terrified, angry, and heartbroken over the results of the 2016 Presidential Election — and it's fair to say it's been a difficult 365 days since. In the past year, we have witnessed some of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history; we have withstood multiple attacks against our health care; and we have watched our president bring us to the brink of nuclear war via Twitter.
But rather than sit back and watch the world burn, many of us have chosen to fight back instead. To use our voices for good. To call our senators every day. To stand up against injustice in all its forms. To do everything in our power to protect those of us who are the most vulnerable.
And because of this, amongst the ashes, there has been hope. There have been moments and events and people who have given us light during what feels like our darkest times. We'd be foolish not to acknowledge that it has been a harrowing year — but there have been countless inspiring and delightful and badass moments and people, too.
Here are just 52 of them.
1. Lena Waithe made history as the first black woman to win an Emmy for comedy writing (and posed for this photo).
2. Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey’s Harvey Weinstein exposé was a full body blow at toppling the patriarchy.
3. Every. Single. Woman. who came forward and shared her story — for Kantor and Twohey's article, for Rowan Farrow's multiple pieces for The New Yorker, and elsewhere.
4. Viola Davis got one step closer to EGOTing. (She's the first black actor to win an Oscar, Emmy, and Tony in acting categories — an important distinction, as Whoopi Goldberg takes the prize for first black actor to get an EGOT.)
5. "Moonlight" won Best Picture at the Oscars, despite a huge mix-up when the award was first announced.
6. Colin Kaepernick taught us all to take a knee, and has continued to take a stand against police brutality ever since.
7. Maxine Waters taught us to reclaim our time (and not just when she literally said that was what she was doing).
8. Trump's transgender military ban was shot down.
9. Trump’s unconstitutional “Muslim ban” was shot down, too. (And multiple times.)
10. Our activism saved health care — proving all those calls and letters and faxes to our senators are working.
11. Serena Williams. Just, Serena Williams.
12. Ananya Vinay Hulk-smashed the 2017 Scripps National Spelling Bee at just 12 years old. Her winning word: "marocain."
13. Allure magazine banned the term "anti-aging."
14. This Cicely Tyson cover.
15. Roxane Gay’s best-selling memoir, "Hunger," was the harrowing examination of fat-shaming culture we all needed.
16. The Obamas' endless grace.
17. Rihanna launched Fenty Beauty, making cosmetics a more inclusive space for everyone.
18. Al Franken proved himself to be a statesmen we can all believe in (and his book is really funny).
19. The tearing down of statues honoring treasonous war criminals.
20. Elizabeth Warren's "nevertheless, she persisted" moment.
21. The ACLU got a record number of donations post-election.
22. Solange won a Grammy for "A Seat at the Table."
23. Ava DuVernay helmed a $100 million movie (the soon-to-come "A Wrinkle in Time" — because there is still joy left in this wretched world!).
24. There are more WOC in the Senate than ever (even though the number is still stupid low).
25. This wonderful EW cover for "Crazy Rich Asians."
26. Amanda Gorman became the nation’s first Youth Poet Laureate.
27. Tracy K. Smith became the new (adult) Poet Laureate.
28. Shalane Flanagan became the first American woman to win the New York City Marathon in 40 years.
29. Post-Trump, there was a surge in women running for office.
30. "Wonder Woman" destroyed the box office — changing super hero movies forever.
31. "Hamilton" rampaged through the world, and now feels more relevant than ever.
32. "The Bold Type" celebrated unabashed female friendship, and featured a love story between two women of color, one of whom is Muslim.
33. International Day of the Girl's "Freedom" video gave us faith in the world.
34. Frederica Wilson exists and continues to be her badass self.
35. The extraordinarily talented Sara Bareilles started touring with "Waitress."
36. "Get Out"'s phenomenal box office success.
37. Malala Yousafzai started classes at Oxford.
38. Sally Yates delivered the constitutional smackdown of the year.
39. Jemele Hill stayed unbossed and telling the truth.
40. The incredible Amy Tan released an incredible new memoir.
41. This Google Doodle.
42. Samira Wiley and Lauren Morelli's wedding was celebrated far and wide — including this gorgeous spread in Martha Stewart Weddings.
43. The "Black Panther" trailer dropped, giving us yet another reason to avoid nuclear war until at least February 2018.
44. Korean girl group Girls Generation staged a massive summer comeback for their 10 year anniversary.
45. Ayana Ife, "Project Runway"'s first hijabi designer, made it to the show's fashion week finale, designing almost exclusively modest clothes around her own aesthetic.
46. Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale" was brought to life by Hulu, and got the award recognition it deserved.
47. Netflix blessed us with two seasons of "Chewing Gum," and we were introduced to the amazing Micaela Cole.
48. Chelsea Manning was let out of prison after President Obama commuted her sentence.
49. "Girls Trip" was one of the summer's most successful films.
50. Relatedly, "Girls Trip"'s success meant that we all got to hear Tiffany Haddish tell her Will and Jada Smith swamp tour story on Kimmel.
51. Also relatedly, Jimmy Kimmel has somehow become one of our foremost spokesmen on affordable healthcare.
52. And, on Election Day 2017, Democrats were victorious across the country — most notably in Virginia, where they defeated a Trump-backed Republican and the state elected its first openly transgender official.
