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

“The Sum of Us” by Heather McGhee explores how racism isn’t just a burden on people of color—but a collective wound that drags down all of society. Through journeys across America and rich economic research, McGhee shows how public goods such as parks, pools, schools, and infrastructure have been sacrificed when communities choose to uphold racial exclusion rather than shared prosperity. She identifies what she calls the “solidarity dividend”—the gains we all enjoy when we build inclusive, multiracial cooperation rather than zero-sum thinking. This book offers a new vision of how we can prosper together, not in spite of difference but because of it.