The sum of us : what racism costs everyone and how we can prosper together / Heather McGhee.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

McGhee, Heather, 1980- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States--Race relations--Economic aspects.

United States.

Racism--United States.

Racism.

Race discrimination.

Race relations--Economic aspects.

Physical Description:

xxiii, 432 pages : illustrations, map ; 21 cm

Edition:

One World trade paperback edition.

Other Title:

What racism costs everyone and how we can prosper together

Place of Publication:

New York : One World, 2022.

Summary:

"Heather C. McGhee's specialty is the American economy--and the mystery of why it so often fails the American public. As she dug into subject after subject, from the financial crisis to declining wages to collapsing public infrastructure, she found a common problem at the bottom of them all: racism--but not just in the obvious ways that hurt people of color. Racism has costs for white people, too. It's the common denominator in our most vexing public problems, even beyond our economy. It is at the core of the dysfunction of our democracy and even the spiritual and moral crises that grip us. Racism is a toxin in the American body and it weakens us all. But how did this happen? And is there a way out? To find the way, McGhee embarks on a deeply personal journey across the country from Mississippi to Maine, tallying up what we lose when we buy into the zero-sum paradigm--the idea that progress for some of us must come at the expense of others. Along the way, she collects the stories of white people who confide in her about losing their homes, their dreams and their shot at a better job to the toxic mix of American racism and greed. This is the story of how public goods in this country--from parks and pools to functioning schools--have become private luxuries; of how unions collapsed, wages stagnated, and inequality increased; and of how this country, unique among the world's advanced economies, has thwarted universal healthcare. It's why we fail to prevent environmental and public health crises that require collective action. But in unlikely places of worship and work, McGhee also finds proof of what she calls the Solidarity Dividend: gains that come when people come together across race, to the benefit of all involved"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

An old story : the zero-sum hierarchy

Racism drained the pool

Going without

Ignoring the canary

No one fights alone

Never a real democracy

Living apart

The same sky

The hidden wound

The solitary dividend.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Athenaeum copy: Miller Fund bookplate.

ISBN:

9780525509585

0525509585

OCLC:

1281138006