VOC Commemorates Victims of Communism Memorial Day in Atlanta, Georgia

WASHINGTON— On November 7, 2025, Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation (VOC), Hungarian American Coalition, and National Monuments Foundation hosted Victims of Communism Memorial Day: Roll Call of Nations at Millennium Gate Museum in Atlanta, GA.

This solemn ceremony, which took place on National Day for the Victims of Communism, honored the memory of the more than 100 million people killed by communism and celebrated nations who overcame communist oppression in pursuit of liberty.

Each year on November 7, the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation marks National Day for the Victims of Communism. This year, VOC was honored to host this commemoration in Atlanta, Georgia as Georgia is one of 10 states that have passed legislation to recognize November 7 as Victims of Communism Memorial Day. Opened in 2008, the Millennium Gate Museum was built to preserve and interpret Georgia history, art, culture and philanthropic heritage. The city of Atlanta has called herself the “gate city of the south” for well over a century, welcoming refugees from around the world. On November 7, we recognized the brave community members who have fought against communist regimes past and present, many of whom fled communist regimes and sought freedom in the United States.

The event included remarks from Rodney Mims Cook, Jr., Founder and President of the National Monuments Foundation, an organization focused on the development of civic and historic restoration projects which led the design and construction of the Millennium Gate Museum; Dr. Eric Patterson, President and CEO of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation; Andrea Lauer Rice, Daughter of 1956 Hungarian Freedom Fighter and President of the Hungarian American Coalition, the community’s largest umbrella organization; and Jose Perez, Cuban Refugee, retired economist and former Regent of the University System of Georgia.

Carmen Agra Deedy, Cuban refugee and award-winning children’s book author, provided the keynote. Deedy is known for her funny and insightful narratives which are culled from her childhood as a Cuban refugee in Decatur, Georgia, including The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet!, 14 Cows for America, a New York Times Bestseller, and The Peanut Man, which was selected by the Georgia Center for the Book to represent Georgia at the Library of Congress’ National Book Festival for 2025.

Rodney Mims Cook Jr. welcomed guests to the Millennium Gate Museum and remarked, “This event and this organization are all the more important to teach our young people what they’re facing.”

Dr. Patterson remarked, “[Communism] uses its guns and tanks and walls to keep its own people in. To oppress its own people. It’s ideologically bankrupt. It’s philosophically bankrupt.”

Andrea Lauer Rice spoke of her family’s experience fighting against communism in Hungary:

“I grew up hearing those stories of life under communism and learning the lessons from my grandparents and my mother to be informed, to stay active, to vote, to get the highest level of education you possibly can, because even in the darkest days, no one can take away your knowledge or your faith. And above all else, fight for your freedom.” She also remarked of the current climate in the U.S.: “Instead of just being horrified by the New York election results, we can look at it as an opportunity to teach the next generation that this ideology is an anathema to our American values. In America, we believe in freedom, we believe in capitalism, we believe in opportunity, and that is what we fight for. So tonight, we come together to honor the victims of communism, and tomorrow, we roll up our sleeves, for there is hope. For there is more work to be done. And this is a fight we must win.”

Jose Perez recounted life as a child in Cuban under the Castro regime. He commented on the U.S. saying, “I found a country that strives, that’s the key word, strives…to protect the rights and the freedoms of our people. And I’m grateful every day, every day when I wake up, for the chance to live in a place where liberty is not just a word. It’s a way of life.”

Carmen Agra Deedy delivered powerful remarks about her family’s story immigrating from communist Cuba to the U.S. and why she believes in the power of storytelling. She said, “The price of freedom is dearly bought and easily forgotten if we do not tell the stories. That is why New York, a city of trees, voted for an axe. We need to tell the stories to our children.”

Following speaker remarks, 18 Honorary Consulates and organizations participated in a Roll Call of Nations Ceremony during which representatives from current and former captive nations laid a floral bouquet in commemoration of those killed by communism and those still living under communist oppression.

Participating organizations included:
Cambodia Democracy Center
Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Atlanta 
Consulate of Hungary in Atlanta
Estonian American National Council
Falun Dafa Association of Georgia
Honorary Consulate of Estonia in Atlanta
Honorary Consulate of Latvia to Georgia
Honorary Consulate of Ukraine in Atlanta, GA 
Hungarian American Coalition
Marti Historical Society
National Monuments Foundation
On behalf of the people of Poland
Royal Danish Consulate
Royal Lao Veteran Association of Georgia 
Union for Lao Nation 
Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation
Vietnamese American Community of Georgia
Vietnamese Women Association of Georgia

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For press inquiries, contact Michal Harmata at michal.harmata@victimsofcommunism.org or 202-629-9500.

Photos by Bonnie Moret Photography.