WATCH: This Gay Men’s Chorus Concert Was Broadcast Live On Russian TV 15 Years Ago

Let’s all join hands and sing “Kumbaya.” OK, let’s not, but this video is pretty close and serves as an amazing testament to how the human spirit can triumph over adveristy. To show solidarity with the LGBT community in Russia before the launch of the winter Olympics in Sochi this Friday, the incredibly talented Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles dug into its vast archives and compiled an optimistic video from their 1999 concert in Moscow.

The clip features the chorus performing a moving rendition of “We Shall Overcome” interspersed with footage of some of the unbearably brutal violence that LGBT people have been subjected to in Russia during recent years.

“We stand with our brothers and sisters in Russia who face unspeakable discrimination and violence as they fight for their lives and rights to live openly and freely,” Chris Verdugo, Executive Director of GMCLA, expressed. “We’re honored to share this video footage with the world and to show that the Russian people are good, and that we can come together with song to celebrate our differences. And just as the LGBT Community has done time and again, we shall overcome.”