2025 House Resolution 208

Whereas, November 7 marks the anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, which ushered in the world’s first totalitarian communist regime and set in motion a century of oppression, mass murder, and human suffering; and

Whereas, The state of Michigan recognizes the immeasurable human toll caused by communist regimes throughout the twentieth century, which collectively claimed the lives of more than one hundred million men, women, and children worldwide; and

Whereas, According to The Black Book of Communism, a historical study on the crimes of communist governments, these deaths include an estimated 20 million victims in the Soviet Union through purges, gulags, and forced collectivization; 65 million in the People’s Republic of China through mass starvation and political persecution; 2 million in North Korea through executions, labor camps, and famine; 2 million in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge; 1 million in Vietnam through reeducation camps and purges; 1 million across Soviet-dominated Eastern Europe; 1.5 million in Ethiopia; and roughly 100,000 in Cuba through executions, imprisonment, and escape attempts. Together these reflect one of history’s most catastrophic assaults on human freedom; and

Whereas, Each of these numbers represents not mere statistics, but individual human beings, sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, who perished under systems that denied their most basic rights to life, liberty, and human dignity; and

Whereas, The United States of America, founded upon the principles of liberty, justice, and individual sovereignty, has long stood as a beacon of freedom in defiance of communist tyranny; and

Whereas, Michigan holds a unique and deeply personal connection to this cause, as thousands of our residents and their families have fled communist oppression from nations such as Poland, Ukraine, Vietnam, Cuba, and others in pursuit of liberty and a better life. Michigan communities have been strengthened by these survivors, whose stories of courage, perseverance, and faith in freedom serve as living testimony to the blessings of our Republic and a warning against the perils of totalitarian ideologies; and

Whereas, It is vital that Michiganders remember the truth about the atrocities committed under communism so that the cause of liberty may endure and tyranny never again prevail; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Representatives, That the members of this legislative body declare November 7, 2025, as Victims of Communism Day in the state of Michigan; and be it further

Resolved, That the people of Michigan are encouraged to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and educational activities to honor the memory of those who suffered and perished under communist regimes and to reaffirm our state’s commitment to the cause of human freedom and constitutional liberty.