Heather McGhee - "The Sum of Us" - Helene D. Gayle

Heather McGhee will discuss The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together. She will be joined in conversation by Helene D. Gayle.

Presented in partnership with the Chicago Humanities Festival

Virtual event

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About the book: Heather McGhee embarks on a deeply personal journey across the country from Maine to Mississippi to California, tallying 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 meets white people who confide in her about losing their homes, their dreams, and their shot at better jobs 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.

About the author: 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 is the author of The Sum of Us. McGhee holds a BA in American studies from Yale University and a JD from the University of California at Berkeley School of Law. 

About the interlocutor: Helene D. Gayle has been president and CEO of The Chicago Community Trust. Under her leadership, the Trust has adopted a new strategic focus on closing the racial and ethnic wealth gap in the Chicago region. For almost a decade, Dr. Gayle was president and CEO of CARE, a leading international humanitarian organization. An expert on global development, humanitarian and health issues, she spent 20 years with the Centers for Disease Control, working primarily on HIV/AIDS. She worked at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, directing programs on HIV/AIDS and other global health issues. She also launched the McKinsey Social Initiative, a nonprofit that builds partnerships for social impact. Dr. Gayle holds faculty appointments at the University of Washington and Emory University.  She serves on public company and nonprofit boards, including The Coca-Cola Company, Colgate-Palmolive Company, Go Health, Brookings Institution, Center for Strategic and International Studies, New America, ONE Campaign, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, and Economic Club of Chicago. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Council on Foreign Relations, American Public Health Association, National Academy of Medicine, National Medical Association, and American Academy of Pediatrics. She has authored numerous articles on global and domestic public health issues, poverty alleviation, gender equality, and social justice.