SUMMIT, NJ — In celebration of a 100-year commitment to equality for all, The Connection hosted a conversation with Heather McGhee, author of New York Times bestseller “The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together,” at Summit High School in partnership with the Summit Interfaith Council AntiRacism Committee on Thursday, Dec. 1.
McGhee is an expert on the American economy; her book and her viral TED talk on the same subject reveal the devastating true cost of racism — not just for people of color, but for everyone. McGhee offers an actionable road map during one of the most critical — and most troubled — periods in history.
McGhee was introduced by Julie Lanzone, chair of The Connection’s board of trustees, to the crowd of 250 attendees. She spoke about her background in economics, what she learned about racism from looking at the data and what led her to delve into the root of our most complicated issues off the spreadsheet.
McGhee shared stories of hope and solidarity that she encountered on a road trip across America for her podcast, also titled “The Sum of Us,” before sitting down for a question-and-answer session with moderators Jayne Graepel, former associate executive director of The Connection, and Michelle Fielder, facilitator for the anti-racism committee. Attendees were encouraged to submit questions ahead of time, and McGhee spoke with the moderators about the racism she discovered in our country’s politics and policymaking, about how addressing those issues would benefit us all and about what we could do as individuals to help.
“Since the moment The Connection opened as the YWCA of Summit, our foundation has been built upon values which foster diversity and inclusion. The choice to be fully integrated — and anti-racist — was made deliberately and without reservation,” said Wendy Graeb, executive director of The Connection.
“We look to all we have in common to help move us forward; the strong respect for one another, the need to speak up at injustice, the desire to make space for all voices, and the commitment to listen and learn. We are grateful to be part of a community filled with individuals and organizations that focus resources to make collective change.”
As McGhee writes in “The Sum of Us,” “A functioning society rests on a web of mutuality — a willingness among all involved to share enough with one another to accomplish what no one person can do alone.”
This program was supported in part by a grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
The Connection is a nonprofit, human-service organization providing a variety of programs and activities open to everyone in the community regardless of physical ability or economic circumstance. It has been serving the Summit area for 100 years. To find out more about its programs or help the organization help others by making a donation, visit theconnectiononline.org.
Photo Courtesy of Josette Luciano