Happy Fourth of July from The Takeaway. As the United States celebrates its independence, we’re reflecting on what it means to be American. In this special episode, we’re bringing you tough conversations from our “Uncomfortable Truths” series, which is all about confronting racism in America. Here’s what you’ll find in today’s show:

• In many ways, to be proud and free, the nation must address the sins of our past. Reniqua Allen, author of the upcoming book “It Was All A Dream? Black Millennials, Mobility, and Migration in the 21st Century,” and a producer with WNYC’s United States of Anxiety podcast, reflects on the changing black experience in America.

• Jessica Shryack in Minneapolis emailed The Takeaway and said she wanted to participate in our series. She offered to highlight a discussion her good friend, Tiffany Wilson-Worsley. Tiffany is black, and Jessica is white. Today, they explain how their friendship developed by confronting preconceived ideas about race.

• Talking to your mom about identity may not seem like a conversation most people would classify as “uncomfortable,” but Julia Fornes largely kept the story of her upbringing from her daughter, Alison Fornes. As Alison got older, she started to wonder why she didn’t know more about her mother’s childhood traditions back in the Caribbean. So she sat down to ask Julia about why she felt compelled to hide her Puerto Rican identity.

• Views of race vary throughout the community in Anchorage, Alaska, even though the state’s most populous city is incredibly diverse, with more than 90 languages spoken in public schools, and 55 percent of students identifying as people of color. Alaska Public Media‘s “Community in Unity” monthly dialogue series, moderated by Anne Hillman, the urban affairs reporter for the station, aims to take on a range of topics, from everything from the civil rights movement, to Native issues in The Last Frontier.

• A decades-long case of mistaken identity led two women named Lisa S. Davis on an unlikely journey. Lisa Savoy Davis is African-American and a personal trainer. Lisa Selin Davis is white and a writer and author. The two describe their unusual first meeting, and the friendship that grew out of it.