Oklahoma City remembers April 19, 1995 bombing victims, survivors

27th Annual Remembrance

OKLAHOMA CITY (Free Press) — Tuesday, somber visitors, family members and public officials gathered in the First United Methodist Church across the street from the Oklahoma City National Memorial where 168 people including 19 children were killed by right-wing extremists who set off a massive explosion 27 years ago.

But, rather than triggering an uprising against the federal government or starting a civil war as was planned, the effect was to pull the country together and vowed to resist the power of hate.

Mayor David Holt
Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt addressing the 27th Annual April 19 Oklahoma City Bombing memorial service in OKC at First UMC. (BRETT DICKERSON/Okla City Free Press)

“The Memorial serves as a symbol of our nation’s democratic ideals,” said current Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt in his speech during the ceremony. “Violence did not beget more violence. We mourned. We came together to build a memorial and the remarkable American experiment continued, not divided — united. We come here still to this place: people of every race and religion, Democrats and Republicans, to remember.”

“The very act of sitting in this sanctuary together today is a rejection of the division hoped for by the perpetrators of this bombing.”

Holt continued, “In the face of violence and dehumanization, we in Oklahoma City did not abandon democracy, pluralism, unity, or our common humanity. We doubled down on it. And we continue to do so even as the pressures of political extremism make every effort to pull us apart.”

Congresswoman Stephanie Bice, the 5th Congressional District representaive that includes Oklahoma City, said, “We will never forget the moms and the dads, the sisters, brothers, sons and daughters, who never made it home that day, and their loved ones whose lives were changed forever. It takes days like this to put into perspective what truly matters in our lives.”

“We overcame this tragedy and emerged with unity and strength,” said Bice. “Oklahomans stepped up and banded together in our darkest hour. We truly embody the American spirit of what came to be known as the Oklahoma Standard by leaning on each other and rebuilding our city together to honor those and always remember those lost.”

Governor Stitt spoke as well as the French Ambassador to the United States, Philippe Étienne.

After the service, family members of those killed, friends and supporters walked to the site of the bombing where symbolic empty chairs are installed to remember those whose lives were taken that day.

The Memorial Museum was open for free and seedlings from the survivor tree were given out in front of the museum.

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Founder, publisher, and editor of Oklahoma City Free Press. Brett continues to contribute reports and photography to this site as he runs the business.