Jay Katzen was born in Brooklyn but his warm smile and voice reminded you of a Virginia gentleman. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Princeton and earned a Master’s degree at Yale, but represented a rural constituency in Virginia’s House… Read More
Jon and I first met as teenagers at a Washington cocktail party hosted by his mother, the formidable Freda Utley, best-selling author and political activist. We were decades younger than anyone else but had one thing in common—we were implacable… Read More
The anti-communist cause lost a dedicated champion with the passing of 80-year-old Michael B. Ryan, former chairman of the National Captive Nations Committee and vice chairman of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. Michael first learned about the victims and… Read More
On November 7, 2019, Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation Executive Director Marion Smith accompanied dissidents from Poland, Venezuela, Cuba, Vietnam, and North Korea to the White House where President Trump declared an official day commemorating victims of communism. President… Read More
On a rainy August 23, the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation (VOC) joined with Baltic leaders; the embassies of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania; the Delegation of the European Union to the United States; Estonian American National Council; Joint Baltic American… Read More
Each July, the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation (VOC) leads efforts to mark National Captive Nations Week, in fulfillment of the 1959 congressional resolution adopted during the Eisenhower administration to show American solidarity with nations subjugated by communism. This year,… Read More
Falun Gong: Forum and Rally On July 18, Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation (VOC) Executive Director Marion Smith spoke at a rally on the US Capitol West Lawn, where thousands gathered to mark the 20th anniversary of the Chinese Communist… Read More
On July 8, in partnership with the Organization of American States (OAS) and the arts-based human rights organization Un Mundo Sin Mordaza, the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation (VOC) co-hosted an invitation-only photography exhibit called Victims of Venezuela’s Dictatorship at the… Read More
Estonia On March 13, Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation (VOC) Executive Director Marion Smith met Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid to lay a wreath in memory of all Estonians who suffered and were killed during the years of Soviet occupation. Crimea… Read More
On June 14, a record 19 embassies, 4 delegations, and 48 ethnic and human rights organizations joined the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation (VOC) for the 12th Annual Roll Call of Nations Wreath Laying Ceremony and Truman-Reagan Medal of Freedom… Read More
