On Nov. 16, a group of Bishop O'Connell students—chaperoned by school counselor, Dan Stabile, and German teacher, Monica Stabile—attended the Anti-Defamation League’s 21st annual Concert Against Hate at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. This is the eighth consecutive year that O’Connell students have attended this event which honors heroes in the fight against intolerance, extremism and terrorism. Stories are told about individuals who have performed extraordinary acts of valor and courage when confronted with bigotry, hate and other discriminatory acts.
The 2015 honorees included: retired Jordanian General Mansour Abu Rashid, founder of the Amman Center for Peace and Development, whose goal is to bring together the people of the Middle East; Ambassador Jakob Finci, leader of the Jewish community of Bosnia and Herzegovina; and Megan and Grace Phelps-Roper, grandchildren of the founder of Westboro Baptist Church, who have dedicated themselves to forging relationships with communities they once condemned.
This year’s concert was hosted by Meg Ryan, Taye Diggs, Delroy Lindo and Archie Panjabi. The program opened with a tribute to France, which included a playing of both the U.S. and the French National Anthems. The National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Emil de Cou, also performed selections from Respighi, Shostakovich, Bernstein, Bach and McBroom.
“A splendid evening,” was how Dr. Stabile described the event.