Zero-Sum Politics: Heather McGhee on How Racism Hurts Us All

Heather McGhee has been in public policy for the past 20 years, largely focused on economics. After nearly 16 years at Demos, a "think-and-do" tank, including four years as president, she realized that despite incredibly compelling economic research, at times, decision makers made decisions counter to what the best evidence showed. She took a leave of absence as president, and embarked on a journey to try to answer a simple question - Why can't we have nice things? We, being all Americans, and nice things being things that most developed nations have managed to provide for their people - health care, parental leave, a social safety net, and, of course, a good school in every neighborhood.   Her journey took her across the country for conversations with all sorts of people, and led to the new book, The Sum of Us, which has been on the New York Times Bestseller's list since was released. We are incredibly grateful to Heather McGhee for agreeing to come on the show in the midst of a serious promotional schedule. We are also honored that Integrated Schools makes an appearance in the book.  LINKS: The Sum Of Us Our Bookshop.org Storefront Demos - Public Policy "Think-and-Do" Tank Ta-Nehesi Coats - The Case for Reparations Dr. Gail Christopher HealOurCommunities.org Adrian Piper - Conceptual Artist Sherrilyn Ifill NAACP Legal Defense Fund Black Doll Test Debra Holoien Chase Bellingham and Matthew Hunt Kellogg Foundation The New Jim Crow - Michelle Alexander The Color of Law - Richard Rothstein Bryan Stevenson of Equal Justice Initiative Don't forget to register for our next webinar: How We Show Up, April 19th 5pm PDT / 8pm EDT. This free, 90 minute webinar will feature parents from Integrated Schools. We'll be sharing personal stories of how we, as parents and caregivers with racial or economic privilege, work to center anti-racist integration when we arrive in integrating schools. The Sum of Us is our next Book Club selection. Dates are in July, and you can register here.  Join our Patreon to support this work, and connect with us and other listeners to discuss these issues even further. Let us know what you think of this episode, suggest future topics, or share your story with us - @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us [email protected]. The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits. This episode was produced, edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits. Music by Kevin Casey