Skip to main content

close
Font size options
Increase or decrease the font size for this website by clicking on the 'A's.
Contrast options
Choose a color combination to give the most comfortable contrast.

Black Lives Matter Book Group

The Sum of Us by Heather McGhee

2021-12-28 17:30:00 2021-12-28 18:30:00 America/New_York Black Lives Matter Book Group A discussion group dedicated to Black voices, perspectives, and authors. We'll aim to construct a meaningful conversation about anti-racism and embrace the diversity of our community. Online Programs -

Tuesday, December 28
5:30pm - 6:30pm

Add to Calendar 2021-12-28 17:30:00 2021-12-28 18:30:00 America/New_York Black Lives Matter Book Group A discussion group dedicated to Black voices, perspectives, and authors. We'll aim to construct a meaningful conversation about anti-racism and embrace the diversity of our community. Online Programs -

A discussion group dedicated to Black voices, perspectives, and authors. We'll aim to construct a meaningful conversation about anti-racism and embrace the diversity of our community.

Meetings take place via Zoom. Registered participants will be emailed meeting information prior to the event starting.

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

Print | eBook | Audiobook

Heather C. McGhee's specialty is the American economy--and the mystery of why it so often fails the American public. As she dug into the subject after subject, from the financial crisis to declining wages to collapsing public infrastructure, she found a common problem at the bottom of them all: racism--but not just in the obvious ways that hurt people of color. Racism has costs for white people, too. It's the common denominator in our most vexing public problems, even beyond our economy. It is at the core of the dysfunction of our democracy and even the spiritual and moral crises that grip us. Racism is a toxin in the American body and it weakens us all. But how did this happen? And is there a way out? To find the way, McGhee embarks on a deeply personal journey across the country from Mississippi to Maine, tallying up 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 collects the stories of white people who confide in her about losing their homes, their dreams, and their shot at a better job 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. It's why we fail to prevent environmental and public health crises that require collective action. But in unlikely places of worship and work, McGhee also finds proof of what she calls the Solidarity Dividend: gains that come when people come together across race, to the benefit of all involved.

AGE GROUP: | Adults (18+) |

EVENT TYPE: | Book Groups |

TAGS: | zoom |

Online Programs


Hours
We're closed Sunday March 31 due to Easter
Mon, Mar 25 12:00AM to 11:30PM
Tue, Mar 26 12:00AM to 11:30PM
Wed, Mar 27 12:00AM to 11:30PM
Thu, Mar 28 12:00AM to 11:30PM
Fri, Mar 29 12:00AM to 11:30PM
Sat, Mar 30 12:00AM to 11:30PM
Sun, Mar 31 Closed
(Easter)

About the branch

Online Programs from the Toledo Library