By Alanna Vagianos, Huffington Post

Activist Tarana Burke created the #MeToo movement 10 years ago (Getty images)

Someone very special will drop this year’s New Year’s Eve Ball in Times Square.
Tarana Burke, who founded the #MeToo movement, will push the ceremonial Waterford Crystal button that will begin the 60-second countdown and release the iconic ball in New York City on Dec. 31.
Burke, a 44-year-old youth organizer who founded Just Be Inc., created the “Me Too” campaign in 2007, long before hashtags even existed.
“I am delighted to be participating in this momentous occasion,” Burke said in a press release. “I think it’s fitting to honor the Me Too movement as we close a historic year and set our intentions for 2018. With the new year comes new momentum to fuel this work and we won’t stop anytime soon.”
The #MeToo movement helped lead to the recent wave of sexual harassment and assault allegations against powerful men like Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, Roy Moore and Louis C.K. The campaign sparked a public reckoning of how we handle sexual violence in our culture.
Time Magazine named “The Silence Breakers” its “2018 Person of the Year,” citing change-makers like Burke along with actresses Ashley Judd and Alyssa Milano.
“New Year’s is a time when we look at the most significant cultural and political moments of the last year, when we look for inspiration by honoring and giving a global platform to those who have made a difference,” Tim Tompkins, the president of the Times Square Alliance, said in the press release. “Tarana Burke’s courage and foresight have changed the world this year, and, we hope, forever. We are honored to have her be part of the 2018 New Year’s celebration.”
Tarana Burke has a connection to the Alabama Black Belt where she served as a participant and later staff member of the 21st Century Youth Leadership Movement, based in Selma during the 1990’s.