Liberals block teaching communism, calling the topic 'anti-Asian'
Although the bill itself only impacted K-12 education, the argument against it has roots in higher education where scholars argue that Marxist ideology is benign or even positive.
Communism killed nearly 100 million people worldwide in the 20th century alone.
The Virginia Education Association (VEA)—the largest teachers union in the state—successfully lobbied State Senate Democrats to block HB 1816, which would have required state public schools to teach communist history, citing that doing so would be a possible source of anti-Asian hate.
Emily Yen, a research coordinator for the VEA, strongly opposed HB 1816 “because four out of five current communist regimes are in Asian countries,” as reported by Fox News.
Although the bill itself only impacted K-12 education, the argument against it has roots in higher education where scholars argue that Marxist ideology is benign or even positive.
Campus Reform found 10 schools that actively celebrated Marxism in research groups, campus art, and Marxist-inspired rooms.
Communist Party groups on college campuses, such as the University of Florida, have also rebranded themselves to “fight for freedom and justice for leftist individuals.”
Campus Reform has also interviewed students who believe that communism promises equality:
The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, however, contends, “Socialism is not a kind, humane philosophy. Marxist socialism is the deadliest ideology in history.”
Venezuela is also designated as a communist regime by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.
But more importantly, “[s]ocialist and communist regimes have oppressed people in every continent,” Founder of the Dissident Project, Daniel di Martino, told Campus Reform.
Di Martino is a well-known Venezuelan ex-patriot who left his home to study economics in the United States because of the Marxist take-over of the once most prosperous nation in South America.
“Socialist and communist parties,” says Di Martino, “rule with an iron fist and [destroy] their economies [forcing] millions to flee.”
Other students who have experienced life under communism or have fled communist countries express the same views, citing the horrific living standards in their homelands:
In response to fears of sparking anti-Asian sentiments, Di Martino interprets the failed legislation as an opportunity to learn from past atrocities.
“It’s not anti-Asian to teach about world history,” contends Di Martino. “[T]he most pro-Asian thing we can do is to teach about the genocides that killed the greatest number of people in Asia in history like those in China and Cambodia.”
On the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution, Soviet historian David Satter argued,
“If we add to this list the deaths caused by communist regimes that the Soviet Union created and supported—including those in Eastern Europe, China, Cuba, North Korea, Vietnam and Cambodia—the total number of victims is closer to 100 million [in the 20th century]. That makes communism the greatest catastrophe in human history.”
[RELATED: PROF. JENKINS: Equity is Marxism re-branded]
When confronted with these statistics, Press Secretary for Virginia Democrats, Liam Watson, denied request for comment.
“Positive attitudes toward communism and socialism are at an all-time high in the United States,” argues the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. “We have a solemn obligation to expose the lies of Marxism for the naïve who say they are willing to give collectivism another chance.”
All relevant parties have been contacted for comment, and this article will be updated accordingly.
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