WASHINGTON, DC, November 12, 2021 – At the 11th Annual Oxi Courage Awards, our 2021 honorees – jailed leader of Cuba’s anti-government protests and one of Time’s 100 Most Influential Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and one of Afghanistan’s first female and youngest mayor Zarifa Ghafari – joined an impressive list of individuals who showcase uncommon courage in the midst of unbearable heartbreak, chaos and persecution. Previous honorees have gone on to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize (twice in three years) and have been featured by the President at the State of the Union address, among other accolades.

The spiritual head of the second largest Christian Church in the world, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who exists under constant threat, was awarded this year’s Metropolitan Chrysostomos Award and joins a distinguished list of past honorees such as the late civil rights crusader Congressman John Lewis, Holocaust survivor and Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel and the former president of Israel Shimon Peres.

Each year, this special awards ceremony meets the moment and appeals to the best of the human spirit and condition while celebrating the noble Greek character and courage demonstrated during World War II.

Videos from this powerful evening

•    To view Dean Metropoulos’ remarks on the courage of the Greeks, click here. 
•    To view Nick Logothetis’ remarks on the legacy of the Oxi Courage Awards, click here.
•    To view Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez‘s introduction and the presentation of the Oxi Courage Award to Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, click here.  
•    To view Danialle Karmanos’ introduction and presentation of the Oxi Courage Award to Zarifa Ghafari, click here.
•    To view Michael Psaros’ introduction and presentation of the Metropolitan Chrysostomos Award to His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, click here.
•    To view George Marcus’ introduction of the Prime Minister of Greece and remarks by the Ambassador of Greece to the US Alexandra Papadopoulou, click here.
•    To view The Honorable Ted Bozonelis’ presentation of the annual Philotimo Scholarship prize and a reading from the winning easy by Anastasia Stratakis, click here.

Pictures from this beautiful evening

To view pictures from the Courage Awards, click here