VOC Applauds Department of Education’s Call for Action on Victims of Communism Day

The U.S. Department of Education boldly announced a national call to action in observance of Victims of Communism Day to strengthen education on the history and dangers of communism and socialism.  
 
Every year, the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation marks November 7 to remember those who have suffered and died at the hands of communist regimes in the past, and to stand for those who are fighting for freedom today. This year, we are honored that Secretary of Education Linda E. McMahon has challenged state Boards of Education and teachers across America to prepare students to better recognize the “critical and inseparable lessons of the causes and consequences of tyranny and freedom.”  
 
“The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation applauds the Department of Education for standing against socialism and communism in the classroom,” said VOC President and CEO Dr. Eric Patterson. “This call to remember the victims is a much-needed rallying point for our nation. We cannot let the memory of the victims fade, nor can we allow rising generations of students to fall for the siren song of Marxism simply because they do not know the truth about this evil ideology.”  
 
In the announcement, Secretary of Education Linda E. McMahon remarked that “America’s educators play a vital role in confronting the rising popularity of Marxist ideology and exposing its destructive consequences. Only by understanding the devastating human cost of communism and socialism and how these ideologies led to more than 100 million deaths in the 20th century alone, can students fully understand the purpose and principles underlying the founding of our country.”   

VOC is honored to offer the definitive suite of academic resources for both students and teachers to better understand these evil ideologies.  
 
In the classroom, VOC’s Communism: Its History, Its Ideology, and Its Legacy is the leading middle and high school curriculum on the subject. Our latest educational product, developed in honor of America’s 250th birthday, First Principles: The American Founding vs. Communist Ideology contrasts the freedom principles of the Declaration of Independence with the oppressive beliefs and practices of communism. VOC’s curricular resources are available online and at the Victims of Communism Amazon bookshop. 

In the nation’s capital, the VOC Museum offers an immersive educational experience for students from across the United States. Online, VOC’s Teacher Certification Course offers 24 hours of professional development credit on the history of communism, made for teachers, by teachers. Our award-winning Witness Project documentary series tells the inspiring stories of heroes who stood up to communism. And across the nation, VOC’s experts and witnesses speak with thousands of educators and students every year.  

The Department of Education’s call to action cites numerous states that VOC has worked with to update legislation on teaching the historical truth about the crimes of communism, including Florida, Arizona, Texas, and others. It is noteworthy that national legislation, the Crucial Communism Teaching Act, passed the U.S. House in 2024, and VOC supports its passage by the full Congress in the future. 
 
For press inquiries and to learn more about how VOC is educating rising generations about the ideology, history, and deadly legacy of communism, please contact Michal Harmata at  michal.harmata@victimsofcommunism.org or (202) 629-9500.