"Because of Racism, the Majority of White Americans Turned Their Backs on the Formula That Created the Middle Class"

"Racism in our politics is holding us back from the smart public investments that we need. People have joked that if we had to build the Hoover Dam or put a man on the moon today, we never would. 'Public goods' were popular among white Americans as long as 'the public' was seen as 'good.' And today we have this false worship of all things private, which has stymied what we've known in this country for over a century to be the formula for widely shared prosperity and innovation: sound public investments and investing in your people, who are your greatest asset."

At Politico, Zack Stanton interviews Heather McGhee, author of The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together.