Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed a new bill that establishes November 7th as “Victims of Communism Day” in the state. He announced it via Twitter, noting that the purpose of the day is “to honor those who have suffered under communism and remind people of the destruction communism has caused worldwide, including a death toll exceeding 100 million. In Florida, we will tell the truth about communism.”
Today I declared November 7th Victims Of Communism Day. This day is to remember those who were victims of communism worldwide and honor the people who lost their lives.
Florida will speak out against communism. pic.twitter.com/Ojlao8f46t
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) May 9, 2022
DeSantis shared the following video with his tweet:
Today, I am signing HB 395, which will officially designate November 7th as “Victims of Communism Day” to honor the more than 100 million people who have fallen victim to communist regimes across the world.
A unanimous Act of Congress created the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation in 1993. It was signed into law later by President Bill Clinton. The Foundation praised the passage of the legislation by Florida’s legislature in March, noting that Florida would be joining Alabama, Texas, Utah, and Virginia with its designation. Eight other states — Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina — are also moving to pass similar resolutions. Note: This list also includes red And blue states.)
Governor DeSantis’ office also issued a press release in connection with Monday’s designation. This is the release.
HB 395 establishes November 7 as “Victims of Communism Day” and calls for public schools to observe the day. In order to fulfill their requirement for a United States Government course, high school students must receive 45 minutes of instruction on subjects related to communist regimes. This instruction will begin in the 2023-2024 school years.
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Miami-Dade College will receive $25 million to help preserve and enhance the Freedom Tower. It is currently the home of the Miami-Dade College Museum of Art and Design. It houses the Cuban Legacy Gallery, and the Exile Experience that honors Cuban Americans’ legacy. Cubans fleding from the communist regime in Cuba used the Freedom Tower to access American resources.
Funding will be used for urgent structural repairs and restorations of historical architectural parts, installation museum-quality climate control, security systems, enhancements to museum exhibits, as well as to preserve and restore museum components.
SB 160 establishes honorary designations for transportation facilities in Florida. There will be 26 road designations across the state, including three designations to honor Cubans who fought against the Castro Regime. These three designations are to be given in honor of Arturo Diaz Artiles, Oswaldo Paya and Maximino Capdevila via road designations within Hillsborough County.
As noted in the release, Cuban Human Rights Activist Rosa María Payá said this about the designation:
“Next July will mark the tenth anniversary of the killing of my father at the hands of the Cuban regime. Like thousands of Cubans did before, as we discuss today, more than 1,000 Cubans are in political prison for peacefully protesting freedom. This factory of communist victims must stop. I appreciate this initiative and the fact that we are honoring the victims of communism by teaching young people about the evils of communism and the moral obligation we have to stop it.”
Florida deserves to be commended for officially recognizing the dangers of Communism, and dedicating a day of memorialization to its victims. Missouri’s Senate unanimously voted to do the same on April 7th of this year and it appears the bill may have just passed out of the House on May 6th, so Missouri may soon be joining Florida in establishing a Victims of Communism Day.
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