The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together,by Heather McGhee

Abstract

In her book, The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together, historian Heather McGhee tallies the cost of racism and identifies a zero-sum thinking for everyone who engages in the us-versus-them ideology. Chronicling racial hierarchy dating back to colonial America, McGhee uncovers the impact of racism in almost every societal sector including politics, the economy, education, housing, criminal justice, and climate change. McGhee challenges the fallacy that racial equity is only for people of color, demonstrating that political, socioeconomic, and financial equity for Black and Brown people is equity for all people.