Ron DeSantis on Victims of Communism Day: Preserving Freedom and Educating Future Generations

Commemorating Victims of Communism

• 📌 Florida is the only state to officially establish November 7th as Victims of Communism Day, aiming to educate students about the destructive nature of Marxism-Leninism.
• 💡 The event at Miami Dade College's Freedom Tower emphasizes the importance of remembering the 100 million lives lost due to communist ideologies.

Contrasting Ideologies: Communism vs. American Principles

• 🇺🇸 Governor DeSantis contrasts the American founding principles of unalienable rights granted by a creator with communist ideology, where the state and party are supreme.
• 🗣️ He highlights how communism leads to individuals being mere wards of the state, with freedom dependent on party loyalty, unlike the American system where government's role is to protect pre-existing freedoms.
• ✈️ The stark difference is illustrated by the one-way traffic of people escaping communist Cuba to the United States, rather than the reverse.

Education and Historical Preservation

• 📚 Florida is implementing curriculum changes to teach students about historical communist regimes, including leaders like Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Castro, Pol Pot, Chavez, and Maduro.
• 🏛️ The state is actively working to preserve the legacy of American founders by bringing statues of figures like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin to their namesake counties.
• 🤝 An initiative through the Institute for Freedom in the Americas at Miami Dade College aims to promote economic and individual freedoms throughout the Western Hemisphere.

The Enduring Threat of Communism

• 🔄 The speech warns that communist ideology, though seemingly defeated in the Cold War, re-emerges in new forms and must be understood by younger generations.
• ⚠️ The importance of recognizing these tactics is underscored by recent political developments and the ongoing struggles in countries like Venezuela and Cuba.
• 👏 DeSantis acknowledges bipartisan support for these initiatives, emphasizing the collective effort to combat the harmful effects of communism.