History Is Present in All That We Do.

The article focuses on the book and civic project *Race and the American Story* by Stephanie Shonekan and Adam Seagrave, which explores the interplay between personal and collective racial histories in the United States. Drawing on James Baldwin's ideas about confession, dialogue, and the presence of history within individuals, the authors integrate their own autobiographical experiences to examine race and identity in educational and civic contexts. The project is noted for fostering collaboration across ideological divides on college campuses and modeling honest engagement with difficult questions about race. The article suggests that future work could benefit from embracing more explicit conflict and debate to deepen understanding and dialogue on these issues.