Miami grew and transformed in the 1960s following successive waves of Cuban exiles fleeing a socialist tyranny that would forever alter the Hemisphere.

It is precisely on the streets of Little Havana, in the factories of Hialeah, or among the skyscrapers of Miami Beach that one finds stories of the cruelty and loss endured under Fidel Castro’s regime — stories of property confiscation, torture, and executions passed down from generation to generation. It is no coincidence that, in 2024, nearly 70% of Cuban-American voters in Miami-Dade leaned toward the Republican Party.

This month, speaking from that South Florida city, Governor Ron DeSantis (R) championed new educational standards regarding the history of communism — standards the state began implementing in Florida schools this academic year.

At the Brigade 2506 Museum — which preserves the history of the exiles’ 1961 armed attempt to overthrow the Castro regime — DeSantis stated that his goal is to prevent new generations from being drawn in by the promises of socialism.

Joined by State Education Commissioner Henry Mack during the press conference, DeSantis asserted, “It is our duty to ensure that the next generation understands the truth about communism.” With the rise of that political “preference” among young Americans and the socialist kidnapping of the Democratic Party, leaders have made this a priority.

The curriculum will lay bare the damage caused by that ideology and the experiences of those who lived under communist rule. In doing so, the governor noted, young people will be able to recognize what he described as the “false promises” of the radical Left, which seeks to upend the United States’ political and economic model.

Former State Senator Bryan Ávila (R), the program’s legislative sponsor, was announced in August as Byron Donalds’s running-mate for Florida lieutenant governor. Efforts to promote these new educational standards were grounded in Senate Bill 1264 — signed by DeSantis in April 2024 — which mandated the inclusion of instruction on communism tailored to students’ age and developmental levels.

The most interesting aspect of the curriculum is that it will not merely require a lesson on the rise of communism and socialism elsewhere in the world; it will also focus on movements within the United States, tracing their trajectories and tactics.

According to the state Senate’s website, the curriculum will cover the history of atrocities committed in foreign countries under communist rule. It will also address communist policies in Cuba and the spread of communist ideologies across Latin America, including the depredations of guerrilla groups and regional terrorism.

Furthermore, the sessions will encourage a comparative analysis of totalitarian political ideologies that conflict with the founding principles of liberty and democracy in the United States. There is no better gift for this nation as it approaches its 250th anniversary. Other states should follow Florida’s lead.

Given that the state is home to so many people who have experienced the disaster of totalitarianism, first-hand testimonies are essential. The program embraces this approach, aiming to be a living initiative rooted in the community’s memories.

Florida had already established Victims of Communism Day — observed annually on November 7 — to address the consequences of that disastrous ideology. For high school government students, the law required at least 45 minutes of instruction on Mao, Stalin, Castro, Lenin, Pol Pot, and the convicted Nicolás Maduro, including the suffering endured by their victims. However, this new educational initiative goes far beyond those earlier measures.

The state’s education commission “may solicit input from any person who has been a victim of communism or from any state- or nationally-recognized organization dedicated to victims of communism,” the Senate website noted. DeSantis echoed this sentiment during a press conference at the Brigade 2506 Museum. He emphasized that instruction should not be limited to theoretical definitions but also focus on the lived experiences of exiles and former political prisoners to demonstrate the human consequences of repression, censorship, the loss of freedoms, and state control of the economy.

The governor presented the initiative as an extension of his education policy, asserting that Florida has a responsibility to preserve these testimonies so that students understand that the loss of freedom is not merely an abstract episode, but an experience endured by thousands of families and individuals in the state.

One of them, journalist Ninoska Pérez Castellón, stressed that the law aims to equip young people with the tools “to ask questions, challenge ideas, and stand up for themselves when someone tries to sell them — as a utopia — something that, in practice, has crushed individuality, concentrated power, and turned freedom into the privilege of a select few.”