Social studies teachers have to create an environment where students are empowered to discuss contemporary issues, such as racism and social injustices. This means students are provided activities that allow them to develop historical empathy skills: perspective recognition, contextualization, and using evidence to make informed decisions. In this article, the researcher discusses a qualitative study in an 11th grade U. S. history class in an urban high school. As a part of the study, an eight-day unit was implemented about the experiences of African Americans in the United States at the turn of the 20th century. Students analyzed primary sources that described these experiences in order to understand how racist policies and attitudes of the early 20th century impacted African Americans and how certain enduring issues, such as racism, have roots in the past. Data were collected from coding students' completed document analysis sheets, first-person perspective narratives, and historical dialogues. Findings indicated that students benefitted from activities that foster students' historical empathy skills, as they were able to connect affectively and cognitively with historical figures. This study presents the importance of including culturally responsive curriculum and counter-narratives in the 21st century social studies classroom.