VOC Applauds Florida Legislature Passage of Key Legislation Commemorating Victims of Communism

The Florida State Legislature has voted to designate November 7 as “Victims of Communism Memorial Day” in remembrance of and honoring those who have died and suffered under communist regimes.

Ambassador Andrew Bremberg, along with the VOC Board of Trustees, praised the Florida Legislature for its passage of this important landmark legislation commemorating the victims of communism.

“The Florida State Legislature designation of VOC Memorial Day is a great success. We look forward to having more states join Florida to recognize this important day,” said Ambassador Bremberg.

This month in passing SB 268, led in the House by Representative David Borrero and in the Senate by Senator Manny Diaz, Florida became the fifth state to officially recognize November 7 as “Victims of Communism Memorial Day” to bear witness to those who have died and suffered under communist regimes. Governor Ron DeSantis is expected to sign the bill any day.

To date, Alabama, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and now Florida have passed resolutions to officially recognize November 7 as “Victims of Communism Memorial Day.” Eight others—Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina—are moving to do the same.

VOC Memorial Day is designed to raise awareness and educate the American people—and the world—about the real threats to freedom we face now, and the crimes perpetrated by communist regimes in the 20th century and that continue today in countries such as China, Cuba, Laos, North Korea, Venezuela, and Vietnam. November 7 was chosen as Victims of Communism Memorial Day to mark the day in 1917 when the Bolsheviks seized power in Russia, which led to the creation of the world’s first communist government. On November 7, we remember those who have suffered and died at the hands of communist regimes in the past, and renew our commitment to stand up for those who are fighting for freedom today.

Representative Borrero remarked, “The scary reality about communism and those who promise to bring equality and liberation is that they promise freedom and economic equality—but all that they bring is misery, destruction, and death. We need this bill because 1 in 5 people live under communism today in China, Cuba, Vietnam, North Korea, and Laos. Over 100 million people have died because of these failed economic policies. The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation published a report showing that nearly half of Generation Z would be willing to vote for a socialist and in 1 in 5 would be willing to vote for a communist. As Abraham Lincoln once said, ‘the philosophy of the schoolroom in one generation could be the philosophy of government in the next.’“

This initiative follows the signing last year by Governor DeSantis of a bill requiring that all Florida schools teach their students about the crimes of communist regimes. The legislation, which was championed by the VOC, requires schools to include in their curriculum a comparative discussion of the political ideologies of communism and totalitarianism with the principles of freedom and democracy essential to the founding principles of the United States.

In 2021, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed HB 5 into law while surrounded by students, witnesses of communism from Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, and VOC President and CEO Ambassador Andrew Bremberg.

VOC exists to remind a forgetful world of the evils of communism, the over 100 million victims, and to alert people of the free world to the growing threats of communist regimes.

Thanks to VOC’s committed friends and supporters encouraging the establishment of November 7 as the annual day of observance for Victims of Communism Memorial Day, we urge more states to follow the Florida Legislature’s example.

For more information about state recognition of VOC Memorial Day, visit our website. If you are interested in supporting a similar initiative in your state, please contact your state legislators.