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Day of Tolerance

FACILITATING PEACE IN THE FACE OF VIOLENCE - A Day of Tolerance to Teach Peaceful Resolutions for High School Students

(Oklahoma City, OK) – The concept of facilitating peaceful resolutions amidst conflict is not a new one – some of the greatest negotiators of our time, including Martin Luther King, Jr., have been able to effect positive social change through peaceful means. That is just one of many reasons why the Oklahoma City National Memorial, during its National Week of Hope, will provide a similar opportunity for 15 schools across the state, during its Day of Tolerance on Thursday, April 21.

“The Memorial wanted to provide an environment for students to find non-violent resolutions to potentially violent situations,” said Kari Watkins, Executive Director of the Oklahoma City National Memorial. “This simulation will help students understand how needs and interests influence decisions. Its goal is for students to look beyond perceived interests and determine a resolution that all parties can agree to without resorting to violence,” Watkins added. The keynote presentation will be the Memorial’s first Model United Nations Security Council Meeting, which will take place at 1:00 o’clock in the Burg Auditorium, Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center, on the Oklahoma City University campus, and will feature The Voice of Afghan Women’s Radio Jamila Mujahid and Najiba Maram, the Memorial’s inaugural recipient of the Reflections of Hope Award.

State high schools participating in this program include Bishop McGuinness, Claremore, Cleveland, Duncan, Edmond-Memorial, Heritage Hall, Lawton-Eisenhower, Moore, Mount Saint Mary, Norman, Norman-North, Putnam City West, Star Spencer, Tulsa Booker T. Washington and Westmoore.

Limited public seating is available for this event, which is sponsored by the Inasmuch Foundation.

For more information, please visit the Oklahoma City Memorial Foundation’s website at www.oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org or call 405.235.3313.

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