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The cover of The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together

The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together

Heather McGhee

Heather McGhee traces how racial division weakens public goods and bargaining power, then shows where solidarity across race can produce broader gains.

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11 parts, about 29 minutes to read.

Why read it

  • Reveals how racial division can weaken public goods, worker power, democracy, housing, healthcare, and environmental protection for people across communities
  • Pairs historical evidence with organizing stories that show when solidarity across race produced higher wages, broader care, cleaner air, and political power
  • Keeps unequal harm in view while testing whether targeted remedies and shared investment can create gains beyond the groups first excluded

Who it is for

  • Readers studying how racism shapes economic policy and public goods
  • Organizers building worker, voting, housing, health, or climate coalitions
  • Policy readers seeking remedies that preserve solidarity and racial justice

What the summary covers

  1. The National Puzzle2 min
  2. A Hierarchy Made for Extraction3 min
  3. The Drained Pool2 min
  4. Going Without2 min
  5. Ignoring the Canary3 min
  6. No One Fights Alone3 min
  7. A Democracy Built with Exclusions2 min
  8. Living Apart2 min
  9. The Same Sky3 min
  10. The Hidden Wound2 min
  11. The Solidarity Dividend5 min

Recommended by

  • Ibram X. KendiNational Book Award winning historian and antiracist scholar
    This is the book I’ve been waiting for.
  • Elizabeth GilbertAuthor of Eat Pray Love and Big Magic
    A book for every American.
  • Alicia GarzaBlack Futures Lab founder and co creator of Black Lives Matter
    A must-read.
  • George SaundersBooker Prize winning author and Syracuse University professor

About the author

  • Heather McGheeEconomic and social policy expert, author and former president of Demos
    • Heather McGhee joined Demos in 2002 and served as its president from 2014 through June 2018.
    • She has testified before Congress, drafted legislation and developed strategies for organizations and campaigns.
    • She chairs the board of Color of Change.
    • She earned a BA in American studies from Yale University and a JD from Berkeley Law.

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