School Board Resolution for Victims of Communism Memorial Day

Whereas on November 7, 1917, Vladimir Lenin’s Bolsheviks seized control of the Russian government, resulting in the world’s first Communist regime and in communist parties around the world subsequently subjecting peoples from Europe to Asia, from Africa to Latin America, to theft, destruction, man-made famines, surveillance, and violent repression destroying political, religious, economic, scientific, and artistic freedom;

Whereas the people of the United States should always remember the crimes committed by Communist regimes in the past century, and which are still being committed today;

Whereas states including Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Virginia have either established or introduced bills designating November 7 as “Victims of Communism Memorial Day” on an annual basis in their respective States;

Whereas based on the philosophy of Karl Marx, communism has proven incompatible with the ideals of liberty, prosperity, and dignity of human life, and has given rise to such infamous totalitarian dictators as Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, Ho Chi Minh, Pol Pot, Nicolae Ceausescu, the Castro brothers, and the Kim dynasty;

Whereas Communist regimes worldwide have killed more than 90 million people and subjected countless others to the most widespread human rights abuses known to history, with victims representing many different ethnicities, creeds, and backgrounds, while despoiling physical environments;

Whereas through false promises of equality and liberation, Communist regimes have as matters of policy robbed their own citizens of the rights of freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and freedom of association through coercion, brutality, and fear;

Whereas the bipartisan Congressional Caucus for the Victims of Communism stated publicly in 2018 that “Marx’s defenders often say he cannot be held accountable for what Communist regimes did long after his life and death; but Marxist dictators who massacred their own people were applying Communist ideology to political practice”;

Whereas the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation in Washington, DC, is a nonprofit organization, authorized by a unanimous Act of Congress that educates people about the ideology, history, and legacy of communism and honors the people who have suffered and died under Communist regimes; and

Whereas, educating our students about the history of communism and its impact on the world is essential to promoting freedom, democracy, and human rights; and Victims of Communism Memorial Day provides an opportunity for our students and communities to learn about this important part of history and to reflect on the importance of freedom and democracy;

Now, therefore, be it resolved, that the {Name} School Board —

1. supports the designation of “Victims of Communism Memorial Day” to recognize the 90 million victims of Communist regimes;
2. endorses and commends schools and schoolteachers in {Name} School District to use the following resources to this end:
   1. Victims of Communism Online Curriculum: https://victimsofcommunism.org/curriculum/;
   2. Victims of Communism Teacher Seminar Live 2023: https://teachers.victimsofcommunism.org/2023;
   3. Victims of Communism Teacher Seminar Online: https://voceducation.org;
   4. Victims of Communism Witness Project: https://victimsofcommunism.org/programs/witness-project/;
   5. Victims of Communism Museum: https://vocmuseum.org/;
   6. The Black Book of Communism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_Book_of _Communism.
3. encourages all members of our community to participate in these activities and to honor the memory of the victims of communism by promoting freedom, democracy, and human rights in our society.

Adopted by the {Name} School Board on {Date}.