Today is the National Day for the Victims of Communism.
President Donald Trump established Nov. 7 as the National Day for the Victims of Communism in 2017. The day marked the 100th anniversary of the Bolshevik party’s seizure of Petrograd, then Russia’s capital and now St. Petersburg. That event gave rise to the Soviet Union.
Communism is arguably the most destructive ideology in human history. Marxist regimes have killed more than 100 million people and subjected countless more to violence, enslavement, and devastation.
Across the globe, approximately 20% of people still live under a communist regime today. It is not an ideological relic from the Cold War, and American parents must remain hypervigilant in safeguarding their families, children, and individual liberties from it.
We can honor those who have died at the hands of communism and stand in solidarity with those still suffering under it by defending our God-given fundamental rights to direct the upbringing of our children.
At Moms for Liberty, we’re doing just that.
“Children belong to their families,” writes Tina Descovich, CEO and co-founder of Moms for Liberty. “Yet throughout history, there have always been those who believe the state should play the primary role in shaping the hearts and minds of the next generation. The battle over parental authority is not new. It is one of the oldest struggles in human history.”
Today’s battle for the hearts and minds of the next generation is in our schools.
Krista Lewie-Cepero is a first-generation American. Capo’s grandfather and family fled Nazi Germany. Her mother and family escaped communist Cuba.
“When I saw communist and Marxist teachings in my child’s school, I couldn’t look away. I couldn’t be silent,” she said in a Moms for Liberty video. “I had to take a stand.”
Parents nationwide must recognize that communist rhetoric and beliefs are in America today.
Becky Pringle, National Education Association president, has espoused concerning rhetoric that undermines parental rights and individual liberty. In 2023, Pringle declared, ”They’re not somebody else’s children—they’re all our children.”
The Democratic Socialists of America presents those same dangerous beliefs under the false pretense of “liberation of all people from capitalism and imperialism.”
The Communist Party USA welcomed the results of Tuesday’s midterm elections.
“I don’t think I would understand what’s at stake if I hadn’t lived in countries that had been ravaged by communism,” shared Katie Gorka, Moms for Liberty Foundation board member, on a recent episode of the “Fire of Liberty” podcast.
“I lived in Hungary for 12 years. To live inside of that is to really understand what communism does to a country. To the souls of the people,” she added.
Gorka lived in Hungary shortly after the country emerged from about 40 years of communist rule.
To protect our families and preserve our country, parents must learn about this destructive ideology and renew their understanding of America’s founding.
“Our Founders understood that constitutional government could survive only if citizens possessed the character required to sustain it. Strong families produce capable citizens and capable citizens sustain a free nation,” writes Descovich.
Moms for Liberty’s recently launched Madison Movement initiative offers parents a free resource to reconnect with the ideas that shaped our nation.
Parents are not alone in the fight against communism.
States and school districts also recognize the role education and policy play in helping future generations of Americans understand the toll this oppressive ideology takes on a society.
Virginia adopted a resolution recognizing Nov. 7 as Victims of Communism Memorial Day.
In 2025, Texas passed legislation with bipartisan support requiring students in grades four through 12 to learn more about the history of communism. The law also calls for incorporating firsthand accounts from victims of communist regimes into the curriculum.
This year, Tennessee enacted a law requiring public high school world history and geography courses to include at least 45 minutes of instruction on human suffering under communist regimes.
In 2024, Florida enacted legislation expanding instruction on the history of communism for all K-12 students.
On this National Day for the Victims of Communism, let us commit ourselves to defending the family and our great nation’s founding principles as a way to honor those who lost their lives because of communism.
“When parents abdicate responsibility and weaken, government steps in to fill the void,” writes Descovich. She added, “As government becomes the primary influence in a child’s life, Liberty is inevitably diminished.”
