Florida Now Observes 'Victims of Communism Day'

Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) has made fighting Marxist ideology a priority in his gubernatorial agenda.  Now, Gov. DeSantis has officially declared November 7th, "Victims of Communism Day," in the state of Florida.

While America at large is seen as a place of refuge for people of all nations escaping any form of oppression, Florida is unique for its abundance of Cuban immigrants who now reside here because of the history Cuba has with Communism.  Between 1959 to 1974 there were over 650,000 Cubans who came to the US to flee Fidel Castro's regime.

Yesterday, the governor signed HB 395 into law which would honor these individuals and, "officially designate November 7th as Victims of Communism Day to honor the more than 100 million people who have fallen victims to Communist regimes across the world."

Not only does HB 395 mark November 7th as a day to observe the dangers of Communism, but the legislation will also mandate that Florida public school students learn about the history and dangers of Communism, beginning in the 2023-24 school year.  Previously, Florida became the first state to pass requirements for anti-communist material in K-12 education.

DeSantis received praise from the international community for taking a symbolic step in condemning Communist dictatorships of the past and now.  "Commemorating this day not only honors those who have suffered, but it also helps educate American youth to have an understanding of communism and an appreciation for democracy," said Amb. Andrew Bremberg, President and CEO of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. "I applaud Gov. DeSantis and Florida lawmakers for making this important designation."

DeSantis has previously fought to keep what he calls, "Marxist" ideology out of the classroom with the fall of Critical Race Theory in Florida's 2021 legislative session, DeSantis and Republicans nationally, asserted the academic material is marxist in nature.