Heather McGhee

Heather McGhee is an economic and social-policy thinker whose writing connects racial inequality with the condition of public goods. The Sum of Us grew from a journey across the United States and combines historical analysis, data, and interviews to challenge the idea that progress for one group must harm another. One World first published the book in 2021. McGhee calls the shared gains produced by cooperation a “Solidarity Dividend,” a concept that links the book's cases in labor, housing, education, infrastructure, and environmental policy. She previously led the think tank Demos, has testified before Congress, and chairs the board of Color of Change. A later young-readers adaptation brought the same central argument to a middle-grade audience.