In this article, the authors reflect on the methodological tools they used to recover hidden perspectives within two desegregation cases, "Karla Galarza v. The Board of Education of Washington D.C.", 1947 and "Debbie and Doreen Soria, et al. v. Oxnard School Board of Trustees," 1974. Placing these two narratives in conversation and excavating the stories behind their creation, they add depth and dimension to our understanding of the long struggle for educational equality. They renew calls for educational researchers to consider the utility of a critical historical lens to more fully account for the complexities of race across time and place.