Heather McGhee Books
Heather McGhee is an American political commentator, policy expert, and former president of Demos, a progressive think tank. She is known for her work on economic and racial justice and has appeared frequently on major media outlets to discuss inequality and public policy.
Known for: The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together
Books by Heather McGhee
The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together
In this groundbreaking work, Heather McGhee explores how racism has a cost for everyone, not just those who are its direct targets. Through research, history, and personal stories, she reveals how the zero-sum paradigm—believing that progress for some must come at the expense of others—has led to policies that harm all Americans. McGhee argues for a new vision of collective prosperity, showing that when people of all races come together, everyone benefits.
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The Pool Metaphor
One of the clearest illustrations of how racism destroys shared prosperity is found in the story of America’s public swimming pools. During the mid-20th century, many American cities built grand, resort-style public pools—symbols of postwar optimism and community life. But when courts mandated deseg...
From The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together
The White Middle Class and Economic Policy
As I traced the economic history of the United States, I found that the white middle class—long believed to be the chief beneficiary of American capitalism—has in many ways also suffered from the zero-sum paradigm. During the mid-century boom, public investment created broad prosperity: affordable h...
From The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together
About Heather McGhee
Heather McGhee is an American political commentator, policy expert, and former president of Demos, a progressive think tank. She is known for her work on economic and racial justice and has appeared frequently on major media outlets to discuss inequality and public policy.
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Heather McGhee is an American political commentator, policy expert, and former president of Demos, a progressive think tank. She is known for her work on economic and racial justice and has appeared frequently on major media outlets to discuss inequality and public policy.
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