Oklahoma City bombing was 30 years ago, but there are still lessons to learn today
Oklahoma City bombing was 30 years ago, but there are still lessons to learn today | Opinion If you haven't visited Oklahoma City or toured the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, make a commitment to come learn and understand the senselessness of violence and the sacrifice made.
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Remembering Oklahoma City bombing: What happened on April 19, 1995
Archival footage from Oklahoma City Bombing April 19, 1995 shows sequence of events and Bill Clinton delivering 20 year anniversary address.
April 19, 1995, started like any other day in Oklahoma City. The sun was up, traffic was steady. People hustled to work as usual – unaware of how unusual the day would be. Parents dropped off their kids at day care – for some, not knowing it would be the last time.
At 9:02 a.m. that morning, a bomb tore through the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building downtown. The tragedy resulted in the deaths of 168 people, including 19 children, and injured hundreds more. The ground shook. Windows shattered for blocks. Smoke covered the skyline.
The darkness we all felt was indescribable. One man's hatred, fueled by radical anti-government beliefs, cast shadows across the globe. This act of domestic terrorism remains among the deadliest in U.S. history. How could an American do this to his own country?
It was a senseless attack meant to tear us apart ... but it instead united our country.
Bombing of Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building killed 168
Many remember how people rushed to the site to help or deliver supplies, and the churches and temples that created safe spaces and a way to collect goods to distribute to the many that needed them. Restaurants distributed free food, and what we know today as the "Oklahoma Standard" was coined by the national media.
It was not a slogan but a way of life in Oklahoma. People outside our state took notice.
Within minutes, the community's response was nothing short of heroic. First responders, police officers and medics rushed to the scene. People ran toward the building and did not run away.
Thirty years later, the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, which was built through a grassroots community plan, stands as a testament to our commitment to transforming tragedy into a force for good: allowing us to #BeTheLight in the darkness.
Children of the OKC bombing: Forever transformed by death and destruction in Oklahoma City
While our mission is to remember those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever, it's also to educate visitors about the impact of violence and offer comfort, strength, peace, hope and serenity.
These words remind us that building, maintaining and programming the memorial and museum, does not diminish the tragedy; rather it offers an inspiring contrast between the brutality of the evil and the tenderness of the response.
Our story inspires future generations by teaching the compassion that occurred after the tragedy and the years of light that we have worked as a community to build. In everything we do – from STEM and civics lessons to telling the stories behind the 168 people who died – the resilience and strength of their families and the survivors, as well as first responders and investigators, shines through.
Empathy in the face of tragedy is 'Oklahoma Standard' we should all meet
Our call to build better understanding is particularly vital in today's world. One of our cornerstone programs, "Better Conversations," brings people together to talk about hard topics.
These civil discourse sessions feature subjects like navigating everyday issues causing political division and learning to understand and respect others' religious and cultural views, in order to find common ground on sacred ground.
But these important conversations can happen anywhere. They happen in line at the grocery store, on social media, around the dinner table and in church pews. They start when we choose respect, when we listen as much as we speak and when we remember that behind every opinion is a human being just like us.
Opinion: Arson suspect 'harboring hatred' against Shapiro. This political violence must end.
Division is everywhere you look. Don't add to the noise.
Everywhere you look – on the news, online and in our own communities – division feels louder than ever. But here's the truth: We don't have to add to the noise.
Step into these conversations with respect, empathy and the desire to seek understanding.
Because when hatred takes over, the cost is too high. Our community experienced that day of darkness 30 years ago, we know it all too well.
Thirty years is a long time. Long enough for some to forget and new generations to grow up never knowing. But we remember – because it is too important to forget.
If you haven't visited Oklahoma City or toured the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, make a commitment this year to come learn and understand the senselessness of violence and the sacrifice many made.
A day of darkness can lead to years of light. What all Americans do next determines whether that light keeps shining.
Kari Watkins is the president and CEO of the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum. Dr. Susan Chambers is the chair of the Oklahoma City National Memorial Foundation. This column originally published in The Oklahoman.
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