We’re going back to the archives today to revisit a conversation with Heather McGhee. In February of 2021, Heather McGhee’s book, The Sum of Us came out. With a focus on the ways in which racism harms everyone, and the potential good that can come from cross-racial coalitions, the book was exciting to us. When we realized that Integrated Schools was featured prominently in the chapter about education, we were blown away.

The book is based around three main concepts. The first is the “zero-sum lie of racial hierarchy”, or the idea that progress for people of color necessarily has to come at White folks’ expense. The second is the idea of the “drained pool,” the disinvestment by White people in public goods simply because they have to share them with people of color. And finally, the “solidarity dividend,” the idea of gains that we can unlock, but only when we come together across lines of difference.

This last idea, the most hopeful, inspired Ms. McGhee to go back on the road and make a podcast documenting examples of the Solidarity Dividend in action. She joins us to discuss the podcast, what it means to be a good ally, the power of relationships in sustaining movements, and what role the Integrated Schools community should play in participating in the current, cross-racial movement for public education.

LINKS

Ms. McGhee’s first appearance on our show
The Sum of Us Podcast
The Sum of Us Book
James Haslem from HEAL Together
Ms. McGhee and Victor Ray’s Op-Ed in the NYT
California Calls – organizing in California
Ms. McGhee’s mother – Dr. Gail Christopher
Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation

ACTION STEPS

Listen to The Sum of Us Podcast
Read The Sum of Us Book
Get involved locally – find organizations that align with your values, and just show up!
Take opportunities to share space with folks – school pick up/ drop off is a great place to start
Share stories off cross racial solidarity with others. Stories from The Sum of Us, from our podcast, or from your own life.

Use these links or start at our Bookshop.org storefront to support local bookstores, and send a portion of the proceeds back to us.

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 podcast@integratedschools.org.

The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits.

This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits.

Music by Kevin Casey.

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REVISIT: Finding Hope in Solidarity with Heather McGhee