Lawmaker seeks to recognize ‘Victims of Communism Day’ in all Tennessee public schools

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — One Tennessee lawmaker wants all schools to honor people who have “fallen victim to communist regimes around the world,” according to one bill filed in the general assembly.

Sen. Frank Niceley (R-Strawberry Plains) has filed a bill that would require all local education agencies (LEAs) and public charter schools to recognize Nov. 7 each year as Victims of Communism Day. It would also require all those schools to supply at least 45 minutes’ worth of instruction on the day in a world history and geography course.

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The bill references the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia and states the teachings of Karl Marx have “proven incompatible with the ideals of liberty, prosperity, and dignity of human life” and given rise to dictators such as Joseph Stalin, Vladimir Lenin, Mao Zedong and Pol Pot. It also states “communist regimes worldwide have killed more than 100 million people and subjected countless others to exploitation and unspeakable atrocities,” and provided “false promises of equality and liberation.”

Some of the topics that would be required teaching for Victims of Communism Day could include:

• Mao Zedong and the Cultural Revolution

• Joseph Stalin and the Soviet System

• Fidel Castro and the Cuban Revolution

• Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge

• Nicolas Maduro and the Chavismo movement

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The law, if passed, would take effect July 1, putting it in the requirements for all high school students starting in the 2024-2025 school year. And if Victims of Communism Day fell on a weekend or other day when students were not in school, the law would require that instruction be given on the next day the student would be in school.

The bill is carried in the House of Representatives by Rep. Dennis Powers (R-Jacksboro). It is scheduled to be heard by the House K-12 Education Subcommittee on Tuesday, Feb. 13.

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