When The “Sum of Us” Becomes “All of Us”
There it sat adorning the bookshelf of Weller Bookstore in Salt Lake City. The book seemed to be calling my name. So I heeded the prompt and purchased it. And I’m thankful that I did.
“The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together,” by Heather McGhee is in my opinion one of the most important books of our time. Throughout its 450 + pages, the author delivers a profoundly moving look at inequality in America, sobering lessons that generations of Americans have failed to heed.
McGhee, former president of the think tank Demos argues that the ugly stain of racism is harmful to everyone. Armed with a deep trove of economic data, she demonstrates with exquisite clarity how racist laws and practices directed at Black Americans have also adversely impacted White Americans.
From the financial crisis to ballooning student debt to deteriorating public infrastructure, she believes the common denominator is racism.
A product of the South Side of Chicago, McGhee says she has had a long interest in examining critical questions around the economic dysfunction of America. Today, McGhee through her book and lectures is championing a cause called the “Solidarity Dividend,” where people across racial and ethnic lines bring a collective voice to these issues.
To provide a sociological, grassroots perspective to her work, McGhee trekked for months across the country, talking to people from locales in Maine, Mississippi, and California among others. Through these conversations, she was able to draw thoughtful, well-researched conclusions on the destructive effect of zero-sum approaches — where the advancements of some of us must occur at the expense of the rest of us.
McGhee witnessed how segregation has and continues to isolate White people from folks from other diverse backgrounds. As a result, she says, Americans have little knowledge about Black history and the Black experience in America. They are inclined to gain their perspectives from biased media sources that reinforce racial stereotypes and the misinterpretation of history, laments McGhee.
Notes McGhee in her book: “As a result of this segregation many white persons have very few opportunities to hear the personal stories of Black people, their encounters with racism, and the harms that resulted.”
The “Sum of Us'' serves as a great launching pad for important dialogue about race during this time of transformative change for our nation. Most importantly, it offers a compelling new vision for a future America where life is no longer mired in a zero-sum, race-centric game that benefits the few over the many.
“The Sum of Us” is the September 2021 “Black Books, Black Minds Book Club” selection. We invite you to join us HERE
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