Educating the Next Generation About Communism

Resources for parents or homeschooling groups.

Two days before the election, then-Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris took to Twitter to share a video she narrated that critics say amounted to support for communism.

There’s a big difference between equality and equity. pic.twitter.com/n3XfQyjLNe

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) November 1, 2020

Harris’s video aimed to identify the difference between equity and equality. The video proposed that citizens should have access to the same resources and advantages in society. The video ended with Harris saying, “It’s about giving people the resources and support they need so that everyone can be on equal footing, and then compete on equal footing. Equitable treatment means we all end up at the same place.”

The support for communism lies in the idea that where people end up should also be static across the board. Ensuring — or forcing — equal outcomes is a byproduct of communist thinking.

Today, a significant subsection of American political leaders are espousing ideas that are often labeled “cultural Marxism,” especially through the promotion of critical race theory.

November 7, the 103rd anniversary of Bolshevik seizure of power in Russia, finds many parents having to confront the challenge of educating their children about the dangers of Marxism and socialism — either to counter the curriculum their children are being exposed to at school or because they have chosen to homeschool their children.

Interest in homeschooling has “exploded” during the COVID pandemic; state-wide statistics vary, but all consistently show a spike in the number of parents pulling their children out of school. (In a typical year, roughly 3 percent of students are homeschooled. That number is expected to jump to 10% this year according to the National Home Educators Research Institute. In Nebraska, for example, homeschooling is up by 21 percent; in Vermont it is up by 75 percent.)

Either way, the challenge posed to parents is daunting. Against a backdrop of extremism on the streets promoting communist and communist-leaning ideologies, parents must teach the historic devastation of this political idea that resulted in communist states killing as many as 100 million of their own people.

As part of our Preventing Violent Extremism program, Clarion Project is now educating about the current glamorization of communism and socialism with articles that cover and explore this topic.

In addition, Clarion is offering a free, 60-minute presentation on extremism in today’s context. The conversation maps what extremism looks like today and how to protect your children.

Click here to find out more about this presentation

We can recommend the following online resources for parents looking to educate their children on communism, including:

• A blog post by The Contemporary Homeschooler that offers a “family communism study through literature” resource portal that offers books for all ages through biography, short stories, historical non-fiction and fiction
• PragerU’s video on “How Socialism Ruined My Country” and a case study titled “How’s Socialism Doing in Venezuela?”
• GulagHistory.org’s a free curriculum on the Gulags of the Soviet Union
• Heritage Foundation’s curriculum analysis on how “‘1619’ Pulitzer Will Boost Socialist Teaching in Schools”
• A list of the 10 best films on North Korea
• Accounts of life under communism in Cuba, Yugoslavia and Russia (warning, graphic images)
• The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation hosts testimonials from people across the globe who have suffered under communism

If you’re a homeschooling community, a pod or microschool, or simply a parent wanting to protect your child,  we look forward to seeing how we can bring this training to you and collaborate on resources to amplify our best educational solutions to the threat of extremism.

Click here to find out more about this presentation

COLUMN BY

Shireen Qudosi

Shireen Qudosi is Clarion Project’s National Correspondent.

RELATED ARTICLE: Communism Survivor Warns What Will Happen if Americans Take Freedom for Granted

EDITORS NOTE: This Clarion Project column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

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