Press Releases
Statement from Kari Watkins, Executive Director of the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, following the Congressional Homeland Security Council Hearing on Radicalization
Media Contacts
Ben Branham, Edelman
212.704.4577 or 646.246.6147
benjamin.branham@edelman.com
Ann Clark, Edelman
212.704.8296 or 646.263.7552
ann.clark@edelman.com
***For Immediate Release***
OKLAHOMA CITY, March 14, 2011 – “The tensions and emotions that accompanied last week's congressional hearings on domestic terrorism are unfortunately not surprising. At times like this, wounds are re-opened, tempers flare, and people want answers and the ability to assign blame. But In the wake of the terrible tragedy in Tucson, we’re reminded that acts of extreme violence – whether classified as terrorism or otherwise – can occur at any moment and are not restricted to a single demographic. Those of us in Oklahoma City, who 16 years ago experienced this type of incompressible violence firsthand, learned some very important lessons to this end: 1) rushing to judgment can lead to wrong and dangerous assumptions, 2) the judicial and legislative system, whose fairness and competence is one of the cornerstones of our democracy, must be given time to work; 3) and education is the most powerful vehicle for promoting tolerance, inclusion and understanding in a way that can help prevent violence from occurring in the future.
“Over the years, we at the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum have taken great care to ensure these “Lessons Learned” are shared as widely as possible, not only with other communities who are victims, but with all of those committed to America’s resilience, the healing process and education as tools for addressing the causes of violence that can help continue to move our country forward.”
Click Here to learn more about our work and Lessons Learned.
The Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum educates visitors about the impact of violence and terrorism, teaches the lessons learned from the Oklahoma City bombing and inspires hope and healing from those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever in the April 19, 1995, bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. For more information on the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, call 1.888.542.HOPE or visit OklahomaCityNationalMemorial.org.
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