Teachers value students' close reading of and text-based writing about diverse texts while eliciting their awareness of the world, privilege, and power. Carefully selected literature coupled with primary sources can bridge the classroom and society. To engage modern students in America's racialized past and present, this article guides teachers to intertwine villains and heroes, real and imagined, past and present. During an intradisciplinary unit linking social studies/history and English/language arts, a twin-text approach enabled students to scrutinize two trade books and supplementary primary sources. Close reading and text-based writing strategies were coupled with an authentic assessment to spark students' creative expressions, critical thinking, and informed civic dialogue. Teaching America's horrid history with racism is provocative yet necessary as oft-overlooked voices reshape public memory and the COVID-19 pandemic redefines collective concerns.