Polk State College will host its first event observing Victims of Communism Day on November 5, featuring author and Cuban Democratic Directorate co-founder Dr. Orlando Gutiérrez-Boronat.
The free program is open to the public and will take place from 11 a.m. to noon in Room 1100 of the Lakeland Technology Building on the college’s Lakeland Campus.
According to Polk State, the event will give students and community members an opportunity to examine the history of communist regimes and hear about the experiences of people who lived under them.
Gutiérrez-Boronat was born in Havana in 1965. His family left Cuba in 1971 and settled in the United States. In 1990, he co-founded the Cuban Democratic Directorate, a nonprofit organization advocating for human rights and democratic change in Cuba.
He also helped establish Radio República, which provides uncensored news to audiences in Cuba, and has served in the leadership of the Assembly of the Cuban Resistance.
Gutiérrez-Boronat holds a doctorate in philosophy of international studies from the University of Miami and degrees in political science and communications from Florida International University. His writing and lectures have addressed Cuban democracy, resistance and the human cost of authoritarian rule.
Polk State President Anastasios Kamoutsas said the program supports the college’s efforts to encourage civic engagement through his Where Eagles Soar initiative.
“Observing Victims of Communism Day with Dr. Gutiérrez-Boronat gives our students a direct encounter with the lived experience of those who opposed a system that denied basic freedoms. That kind of conversation belongs on a college campus,” Kamoutsas said.
“At Polk State, we are committed to fostering civic engagement and forming graduates who can weigh ideas, history, and evidence for themselves.”
The college previously hosted Republican Congressman Byron Donalds and Democratic Florida Senator Rosalind Osgood for Constitution Day events on its Lakeland and Winter Haven campuses September 17.
Food will be provided to students who present a Polk State ID, courtesy of the college’s Student Activities and Leadership Office.
