Last Updated on April 19, 2023, 8:10 PM | Published: April 19, 2023
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma City’s Mayor David Holt spoke to those loved ones and survivors of the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing Wednesday, saying that the power of the annual remembrance “has not been diminished” over time.
“On this 28th anniversary, I grieve with you once again, but I also celebrate the response that served as an example to the world, and still does,” Holt said, having given addresses at the service over a series of years since his first election as mayor of the city.
Entire speech
The following is the manuscript provided to Free Press. Holt held closely to it during the service Tuesday:
“Thank you. As always when we gather on this date, it is my solemn obligation to deliver, on behalf of the people of Oklahoma City, our deepest condolences to those who lost so much on April 19th, 1995, recognizing that this date will always resurrect grief that defies the passage of time. And as always, on behalf of the people of Oklahoma City, I wish to express our gratitude to those who came to our aid, from within and without our city. The first responders and rescuers who came from across the country will always be remembered and appreciated in Oklahoma City, and especially on this day.
Twenty-eight years after the act and 23 years since the dedication of the Memorial, allow me to also express gratitude to the generation of people in this City who planted seeds in the dark days that followed this horrific attack. They gazed up at the charred Survivor Tree and recognized that it is always our obligation to plant trees so that our grandchildren have shade. The perspective of time allows us to now fully see their legacy.
The brave people who worked through their grief and shock in the wake of the Bombing to build the Memorial & Museum did so with the clear intent of creating something that would last. The full realization of their vision is now undeniable.
In 2023, this Memorial is still a place that draws nearly every visitor to our city, including the Second Gentleman of the United States just two weeks ago. People come here to honor those who died and to contemplate the impact of dehumanization and violence. Every hour of every day on this sacred ground, hearts are touched in impactful ways.
In 2023, this annual ceremony still draws us together, and its power has not diminished. In fact, it seems to grow every year. Our entire city seems to pause each April 19th to remember those who were killed, those who survived, and those changed forever. And we listen in a way people rarely do anymore to the important words of people like Justice Steven Taylor. Tragedy and fate brought Justice Taylor and this city together in ways that were otherwise unlikely to occur, and we have been so much better for it. He is truly one of the great men of our time, an embodiment and protector of this nation’s ideals, and we are so blessed to know him and call him friend.
In 2023, this Museum still teaches us important lessons that we need to hear. Programming like the Better Conversations series reminds us that our pain was originally born from the rejection of dialogue, a refusal to use the tools of democracy, and the absurd embrace of dehumanization. This Museum’s better conversations serve to create a legacy of peaceful engagement, where our shared humanity is paramount and violence becomes unthinkable. These conversations have drawn global attention. Meanwhile, the Museum works to carry the lessons of this event to new generations. Since we last gathered here, the Museum debuted a video and curriculum for young people in elementary and middle school. My two children, George and Maggie, host a video for kids their own age, communicating what happened here and what we can learn from it. You can watch this video online and share it with young people in your life.
In 2023, secondary traditions have grown that we never could have imagined in the darkest days of 1995. The annual Marathon brings a welcome element of joy and triumph, reminding us that darkness can and must be answered with light. Smiles, sweaty hugs and high-fives will fill the streets around this Memorial next weekend, and we will be reminded that the thing we are most proud of in Oklahoma City is the way we responded to this horror, with grace and positive action and the Oklahoma Standard.
And perhaps the most important enduring legacy given to us by the generation of 1995 is our city’s very ethos, which requires constant cultivation, but nevertheless now permeates our local political culture. Here in Oklahoma City, perhaps uniquely, we work every day to embrace pluralism, the idea that many different perspectives and values can co-exist. This is a founding principal of this democratic experiment we call America, and nothing of consequence has ever been accomplished without it. We cannot stamp out those with whom we disagree. We must put in the hard work of finding common ground, of compromising, and reaching an outcome that may not be our ideal, but that we can both accept. We will then move forward together, still holding our individual principles, but recognizing that our neighbor has every right to theirs as well. Pluralism is vital and it is celebrated in Oklahoma City. Initiatives like MAPS are perfect distillations of the ideal that a community’s outcomes can and must represent many worldviews and perspectives. More than ever, our country needs that example, and more than ever, people are coming to Oklahoma City to find it. This too, is a legacy of what happened here in 1995, and we must hold fast to it.
And so, on this 28th anniversary, I grieve with you once again, but I also celebrate the response that served as an example to the world, and still does. The generation that responded in 1995 has left us enduring legacies. We are grateful for them, and it remains our obligation to build upon them. May God bless us all. Thank you.”
Founder, publisher, and editor of Oklahoma City Free Press. Brett continues to contribute reports and photography to this site as he runs the business.
