Salazar and Kennedy Reintroduce Crucial Communism Teaching Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. María Elvira Salazar (FL-27) and over a dozen of her colleagues reintroduced the Crucial Communism Teaching (CCT) Act (H.R. 2080) in the 119th Congress. Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) introduced the companion version in the Senate. During the 118th Congress, the House of Representatives passed the bill.
“Communism is one of the most destructive political ideologies the world has ever seen,” said Rep. Salazar. “The Crucial Communism Teaching Act is important because our youth must remember the crimes of the communists, including those inflicted upon my constituents and their families in Florida’s 27th district.”
The CCT Act makes educational materials available through the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation to help educate middle and high school students about the dangers of communism and totalitarianism, and how they are contrary to the founding principles of freedom and democracy in the United States.
Over 100 million people have died due to the tragic legacy of communism. However, due to a lack of accurate education materials, almost one-third of Generation-Z members have a favorable view of communism.
The CCT Act framework is inspired by the Never Again Education Act, passed by Congress in 2020, which created a program to educate American students about the Holocaust through the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. The bill also continues similar efforts by Florida and other states to educate American students on the failed experiment of communism throughout history.
Knowledge of the horrific crimes of Communism and related totalitarian regimes is sadly lacking in the United States, particularly among younger generations,” said Founding Chairman of The Remembrance Society and Trustee Emeritus of The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation Don Ritter. “Educating people about the brutality, immorality and ideology of Communist regimes is necessary to prevent recurrence of the totalitarian horrors which swept across the twentieth century and into the 21st. Importantly, such knowledge works to safeguard America's founding principles of freedom and democracy from contemporary forms of Communist ideology. We applaud Congresswoman Salazar for her leadership in authoring and reintroducing the Crucial Communism Teaching Act, and urge House Leadership to bring the bill swiftly to a vote.”
"Today, American students are increasingly unaware of communist regimes' brutal history and continuing oppression. Fortunately, it’s not too late to right this wrong—the Crucial Communism Teaching Act is a much-needed effort to ensure that our students learn the facts about the deadliest ideology the world has ever seen and to ensure that the crimes of communism are never forgotten,” said Dr. Eric Patterson, President and CEO of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.
“Communism is a cancer, and it always produces the same results: oppression, suffering and death. We must teach the next generation of Americans the threat communism poses to liberty and justice for innocent people around the world,” said Sen. John Kennedy.
Cosponsors of the Crucial Communism Teaching Act include:
- Rep. John Rutherford (FL-05)
- Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11)
- Rep. Carlos A. Gimenez (FL-28)
- Rep. Burgess Owens (UT-4)
- Rep. Monica De La Cruz (TX-15)
- Rep. Gus Bilirakis (FL-9)
- Rep. Buddy Carter (GA-01)
- Rep. Ashley Hinson (IA-02)
- Rep. Doug LaMalfa (CA-01)
- Rep. Mario Rafael Diaz-Balart (FL-25)
- Rep. Mike Lawler (NY-17)
- Rep. Chris Smith (NJ—04)
- Rep. Scott Franklin (FL-18)
BACKGROUND:
A 2020 poll conducted by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation shows that the majority of young adults lack understanding of the true meaning and history of communism. The same poll showed that 1 in 5 millennials and 1 in 3 members of Gen-Z view communism favorably.
The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation was founded in 1993 by a unanimous act of Congress. It is dedicated to the purpose of "educating Americans about the ideology, history, and legacy of communism."
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