(MENAFN- EIN Presswire)
The Washington Oxi Day Foundation honors and inspires courage in the world by presenting the Oxi Courage Award to those who show the kind of David vs. Goliath courage exhibited by the Greek people in World War II.
Annual award ceremony celebrates courage of global activists
Courage is a fading quality. When we celebrate courage we inspire and encourage others, especially young people, to value and develop courage.” - Mike Manatos, Washington Oxi Day Foundation Executive DirectorWASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, October 23, 2024 /EINPresswire / -- Several of the world's most courageous freedom fighters will convene at the 14th Annual OXI Courage Awards (OXI is pronounced oh-hee) on October 30 in Washington, DC at the US Institute of Peace. Recently released Russian political prisoner Vladimir Kara-Murza will join fellow OXI Courage Award recipients Nadia Murad and Maria Ressa (both subsequent Nobel Peace Prize winners).
The Washington Oxi Day Foundation honors and inspires courage in the world by presenting the Oxi Courage Award to those who show the kind of David vs. Goliath courage exhibited by the Greek people in World War II.“Oxi,” which means“no” in Greek, is the single word that the Prime Minister of Greece answered when Hitler's Axis Forces asked him, at 3:00 am on October 28, 1940, to surrender. Greece went on to become the first country to stop the Axis horror and inflict a wound that was instrumental in Hitler's ultimate defeat. Winston Churchill said,“If there had not been the virtue and courage of the Greeks, we do not know which the outcome of WWII Would have been.” October 30th also marks the International Day of Political Prisoners.
The 2024 Courage Award recipients are:
Russian political prisoners Alexei Gorinov and Maria Ponomarenko. (Recently released Russian political prisoner Ilya Yashin will accept the Courage Award on their behalf, and political activist, Evgenia Kara-Murza will introduce them).
Shabana Basij-Rasikh, Founder of SOLA in Afghanistan, the only country in the world to prohibit access to education for girls over the age of 12 and for women.
2024 speakers include:
Vladimir Kara-Murza, Journalist, Author, Political Activist, 2018 OXI Courage Award winner
Nadia Murad, Iraqi Human Rights Advocate, 2016 OXI Courage Award winner, 2018 Nobel Peace Prize Awardee
Maria Ressa, CEO of Rappler, Journalist, Political Activist, 2019 OXI Courage Award winner & 2021 Nobel Peace Prize Awardee
Diane Foley, mother of James Foley 2014 OXI Courage Award winner, Founder, James W. Foley Legacy Foundation
Ana Corina Sosa – daughter of Maria Machado, Venezuelan Opposition Leader and 2024 Courage Award winner
"For years, the Oxi Courage Awards have been the most inspiring and uplifting event we have attended in Washington,DC. It highlights that the same heroic spirit that defined Greece during the Second World War is alive and well in all parts of our world where people have the courage to say no to those who seek to deny basic human rights and individual freedom. It's an evening that inspires us all to be better stewards of our fellow human beings,” said former US Ambassador to Greece and acting US Secretary of State Dan Smith and his wife Diane.
The Oxi Day Foundation, created in 2011 by Andy Manatos and Mike Manatos, seeks to honor Greece's historic courage as well as the courage of modern day heroes of freedom and democracy who display the 'Oxi Day Spirit' for freedom and democracy. The Annual Washington Oxi Day Celebration brings together senior US policymakers, international opinion leaders, Washingtonians and prominent Greek-American leaders. The 2-day event attracts 400 people a year. Past award recipients include: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (2022); then-Vice President Joe Biden and Beau Biden (2016); Jamal Khashoggi (2019); and Chen Guangcheng (2012), among others.
“Courage is a fading quality. When we celebrate courage we inspire and encourage others, especially young people, to value and develop courage,” said Mike Manatos, Washington Oxi Day Foundation Executive Director.
Learn more about the Oxi Day Foundation at oxidayfoundation or follow on Instagram at oxidayfoundation. (Again, OXI is pronounced oh-hee)
Laura Manatos
Laura Evans Media
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