My father was held as a political prisoner in communist Cuba. He endured hardship while standing firm for the values we hold dear today. My family fled to the United States for freedom and the chance to rebuild our lives.

I'm a Cuban American who calls Miami home, and the scars of communism run deep in our family history. But what happened to my family shouldn't only stay with me. I want America’s children and future generations to understand what families like mine escaped, and why the freedoms we all have here are worth protecting.

This is why I’m demanding Congress pass legislation that requires schools receiving federal K–12 education funding to teach the history and human cost of communist and socialist regimes, including firsthand accounts from survivors.  

Congress should also establish a survivor testimony project at the Library of Congress, modeled on the Veterans History Project, to record these experiences and make them freely available to students, teachers and families nationwide.

A handful of states, including Florida, Texas, Arizona, Arkansas and Tennessee, already require this history. But no national standard or framework exists. As I watch socialist and communist ideas gain ground without an understanding of their history, I am compelled to call for action. Whether a student learns this history depends on where they live, and it shouldn't have to be that way. 

Under communist regimes such as Castro’s Cuba, the Soviet Union and Mao’s China, millions of people endured political imprisonment, censorship, persecution and devastating hunger. Students deserve to learn that history through documented facts and the voices of people who lived it.

On September 30, Education Secretary Linda McMahon called on schools to strengthen instruction on the history and human toll of communism and socialism ahead of the November 7 National Day for the Victims of Communism. That is an important step, but it doesn't go far enough. Congress should turn that call into a lasting commitment.

There is urgency here. Only about 200 veterans of Brigade 2506, the Cuban exile force that landed at the Bay of Pigs in 1961, remain alive. Even the youngest are in their 80s. Their generation is running out of time to tell its stories firsthand.

Across America, families who escaped Cuba, the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, Vietnam, Cambodia, North Korea, Nicaragua and Venezuela hold first-hand memories no textbook can replace. When they're gone, their stories go with them.

This isn't just about looking back; it's about shaping an informed and vigilant generation. Sign and share this petition so every student in America can hear these stories while the people who lived them can still tell them.

— Driena Sixto is a Cuban American political commentator, strategist, and bilingual media professional with a background in conservative advocacy and political communications. She is a graduate of Florida International University.