The Sum of Us

Heather McGhee (1940-) is an American author, public policy researcher, and speaker. In The Sum of Us McGhee draws on her upbringing, her time spent as an employee and then president of the progressive think-tank Demos, and her experience as a Black woman in America to examine the harms caused by racism and propose ways that citizens can work together to end racial hierarchies.

McGhee grew up in the South Side of Chicago, where her family and neighbors “were always hustling” (3). As tenuous members of the middle class, McGhee’s family had no inherited wealth to fall back on—an issue McGhee explores in the book, noting that Black families have $17,600 in wealth on average compared to white families’ roughly $200,000, due to structural racism in policies meant to encourage homeownership. McGhee’s family history also tracks the changes in US society that led to greater inequality; her parents came of age just as the Voting Rights Act and Fair Housing Act came into force and a greater share of public goods opened up to Black citizens. But as these benefits were opened up to racialized people, their popularity fell among white Americans. By the beginning of McGhee’s adulthood, most of these public benefits had been hollowed out and inequality was on the rise. By examining racial inequities and hierarchies as they played out in her family’s life, McGhee offers a human lens through which to view these issues, a narrative device she employs throughout the book.

At other points in the book, McGhee shares personal stories to illustrate issues and establish her authority when drawing conclusions on them. For example, as a young girl, McGhee attended a school where she was almost the only person of color; as she grew older, she often found herself in similar contexts. This experience allows her to draw conclusions about the impact of policies that perpetuate segregation even after the end of segregation as a policy. McGhee also shares her observations of blind spots among legislators and advocates, from the lack of understanding of the severity of the subprime mortgage crisis to the inability to grasp the role that racism plays in preventing action on climate change.

In some cases, McGhee describes the emotional impact of her work, including the grief she felt at seeing Black homeowners losing the homes they had fought to acquire despite discriminatory practices dating back to slavery, all due to racist lending practices that targeted Black borrowers for subprime loans. She also challenges popular conceptions of US history, to dispel myths about the nation’s founding and later development. Through these strategies, McGhee asserts her authority as a researcher and acts as a chronicler of the personal and societal consequences of racism. By sharing personal accounts and busting historical myths, and challenging stereotypes in the process, McGhee creates new narratives and enacts the kind of change necessary to end racial hierarchies in the United States.

At the beginning of the book, McGhee describes herself as an optimist, and her commitment to optimism is evident throughout the text. Ultimately, McGhee offers practical solutions to America’s seemingly intractable problems with race and expresses hope that a more just society is possible.