Every November since 2022, Utah’s Voice for the Voiceless — organized by Lisa Fifield — has honored the victims of communism around the world at the Utah State Capitol. Each year focuses on a different nation’s suffering: China in 2022, Russia in 2023, North Korea in 2024, and this year, Romania.
For me, these commemorations carry a personal weight. I lived for several years in Russia and nearly a decade in China. I have met victims whose trauma still echoes through their voices.
A highlight of the event is its youth speech contest, where students from first through 12th grade speak about First Amendment freedoms and stories of the oppressed. Winners can receive prizes up to $1,000. My own children have participated since 2023, and the process of researching, writing and memorizing these speeches has opened their hearts in ways I never predicted.
This year, I learned for the first time the stirring story of Romania’s brave citizens in Timișoara, thanks to my daughter Joy’s speech about the Freedom of Assembly. Unarmed civilians stood before tanks with nothing but candles and courage. They toppled a dictatorship not with weapons but with unity.
This is why we remember. This is why Utah must keep giving a voice to the voiceless.
Christy Moore
Saratoga Springs