WASHINGTON – Rep. Burgess Owens (UT-04) co-sponsored the Crucial Communism Teaching (CCT) Act, legislation introduced by Rep. María Elvira Salazar (FL-27) to make 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.

“History tells us an undeniable truth: Communism is an evil ideology that claimed the lives of over 100 million men, women, and children,” said Rep. Owens. “To protect the principles that make the United States the freest country in the world, we must educate the next generation on the dangers and atrocities of communism. I’m proud to support Congresswoman Salazar’s Crucial Communism Teaching (CCT) Act because, as President Ronald Reagan reminded us, freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.” 

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.”

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.

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