This year, People Magazine is honouring Dolly Parton, Simone Biles, Sandra Oh, and America’s teachers for doing their best to help people get through yet another difficult year.
“This year has been a transformative one, pushing us all to create something new and hopefully better for our lives,” the magazine said. “This issue reflects that spirt: Our People of the Year cover stars have all led the way in their fields to help make the world a little bit better.”
Parton was chosen for her charity. The country singer gave more than 160 million books to kids in need with her Imagination Library and donated $1 million to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center to support COVID-19 research, which resulted in the Moderna vaccine, shares.
Canadian actor Oh was chosen for how she continues to use her voice and platform to speak against anti-Asian hate crimes. “Progress is not just sticking a bunch of people of colour [into a show] and having them speak like everyone else,” the actor told the magazine.
She also mentioned her new Netflix show The Chair, which centers on the first woman of color to be named head of the English Department at a prestigious college.
“The thing that I’m most proud about with The Chair is how it’s translated to people of colour who are living and working in mostly white spaces. What I hope is that anyone who’s watching it can say, ‘That could easily be me,’” the actor said.
Meanwhile, gymnast Simone Biles, who spoke up about mental health earlier this year and changed how we think about the mental health of athletes, says: “Now [people] view me as human, which makes me so happy. I fought hard. I survived. I’m proud of myself.”
The publication also honoured America’s teachers; Juliana Urtubey, National Teacher of the Year, along with finalists John Arthur, Alejandro Diasgranados, and Maureen Stover. The four represent the three-million-plus classroom teachers in the United States who have gone above and beyond to ensure our nation’s kids have bright opportunities ahead,” writes the mag.
