Racism's Hidden Costs: Heather McGhee with Adam Serwer

The economic and social policy expert explains how racism impacts the health and financial well-being of all Americans—not just people of color.

Conventional wisdom in progressive economics asserts that racism accelerates inequality for communities of color. "But what if," writes Heather McGhee, "racism was driving inequality for everyone?" McGhee's speciality is the American economy—and the mystery of why it so often fails so many Americans. From the financial crisis to rising student debt to collapsing public infrastructure, she found a common root problem: racism. In The Sum of Us, she details racism as the common denominator of our most vexing public problems, the core dysfunction of our democracy, and constitutive of the spiritual and moral crises that grip us all.

McGhee discusses with The Atlantic's Adam Serwer the deeply personal journey she took, from Mississippi to California to Maine, to investigate racism's impact on our financial well-being, and to answer two simple questions: How did this happen? And is there a way out?

LIVE from NYPL is made possible by the support of Library patrons and friends, as well as by the continuing generosity of Celeste Bartos, Mahnaz Ispahani Bartos and Adam Bartos, and the Margaret and Herman Sokol Public Education Endowment Fund.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Heather McGhee is an expert in economic and social policy. The former president of the inequality-focused think tank Demos, McGhee has drafted legislation, testified before Congress, and contributed regularly to news shows including NBC's Meet the Press. She now chairs the board of Color of Change, the nation's largest online racial justice organization. McGhee holds a BA in American studies from Yale University and a JD from the University of California at Berkeley School of Law.

GET THE BOOK
If you have a NYPL library card—or live in New York state and want to apply for one now—you can reserve The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together for free through the NYPL catalog. Learn more about our Grab & Go locations and the safety protocols in place.

Readers everywhere who wish to purchase copies of The Sum of Us can do so at The New York Public Library Shop. Proceeds benefit the New York Public Library. 

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