Washington OXI Day Gala Held in National Cathedral
The Washington OXI Day Foundation's annual Courage and Service Awards gala was held inside Washington National Cathedral for the first time in the foundation's history.
Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Awards
The Washington OXI Day Foundation held its annual Courage and Service Awards and gala inside Washington National Cathedral, the first time the event has been staged there in its 15-year history. More than 240 dignitaries and guests attended, with pews removed to make room for dinner tables.
Why it matters
The gathering commemorates October 28, 1940, when Greece rejected an ultimatum from Fascist Italy demanding passage for its troops through Greek territory. Holding the event in a major Washington landmark brings that anniversary and the honorees' causes to a wider audience in the nation's capital.
The foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization established in 2010, and the gala drew more than 240 guests. The event was held in the cathedral's main worship space after pews were removed and replaced with dinner tables.
The players
Washington OXI Day Foundation
A nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization established in 2010 that hosts annual Courage and Service Awards commemorating Greece's 1940 refusal of Italy's ultimatum.
Washington National Cathedral
A large Episcopal cathedral in Washington, D.C., that hosted the gala in its main worship space for the first time in the foundation's history.
Toomaj Salehi
An Iranian rapper and activist who received an OXI Courage Award after being imprisoned and held in solitary confinement.
Victoria Roshchyna
A Ukrainian journalist who was recognized posthumously for her journalism after she was killed at age 27.
Antonis Alexandridis
Greece's ambassador to the United States who attended the gala.
The details
The OXI Courage Awards were presented to Iranian rapper and activist Toomaj Salehi, who was imprisoned and held in solitary confinement, and to Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchyna, who was 27 when she was killed and was recognized posthumously for her journalism. Greece's ambassador to the United States, Antonis Alexandridis, attended, and the keynote was delivered by George Logothetis, executive chairman of Libra Group.
Timeline
October 28, 1940: Greece rejected Fascist Italy's ultimatum, the anniversary the foundation commemorates.
2010: The Washington OXI Day Foundation was established as a nonprofit.
Ahead of the gala: The Dalai Lama was presented the Metropolitan Chrysostomos Award in Dharamshala, India.
November 10, 2026: The gala was held inside Washington National Cathedral.
Culture Shift
The gala reflects a continuing practice of marking Greece's October 28, 1940 refusal of Fascist Italy's ultimatum, the date that drew Greece into World War II. Presenting awards to a jailed Iranian activist and a murdered Ukrainian journalist ties that wartime anniversary to contemporary struggles for press freedom and civil rights.
Residents of Washington can see the cathedral used for a civic and commemorative gala, with its main worship space converted for the evening. The event's focus on courage and service invites local attention to the causes honored, including press freedom and political prisoners.
The takeaway
Honors like the OXI Courage Awards show how historical anniversaries can keep attention on present-day courage. Readers interested in press freedom and civil rights can use the honorees' stories as a starting point for further reading.
Further reading
Explore more Awards coverage to see how other honors are recognized across the region.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Tovima.
