CCNY’s Second Annual Community Read is Heather McGhee's "The Sum of Us"

With the beginning of the fall semester in sight, The City College of New York is pleased to announce the second annual “Community Read” project. The project is an effort to pull the entire CCNY community—staff, students, faculty and Harlem partner organizations—together to read and discuss a work that carries significance during these difficult times.

A selection committee reviewed dozens of nominated books and chose “The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together,” written by Heather McGhee, former president of the inequality-focused think tank Demos. The book relays McGhee’s personal journey as she explores the historical roots of policies that shape America and challenges assumptions about the possibilities of contemporary America. 

The community read is designed to both direct collective attention to issues of race and injustice and to help reconstitute the college community. McGhee will serve as the keynote speaker at this year’s virtual Freshman Convocation, which will take place on Thursday, September 9 at 12:30 p.m., giving the CCNY campus community the opportunity to discuss the book. 

A limited number of complimentary copies of the book are available, and for those who weren’t able to come in-person in August to pick up a hardcover copy from the advising office, or divisional offices, can stop by a distribution table or request an electronic copy.

Distribution tables are available on Lewisohn Plaza (the Convent Avenue side of the NAC Building) on August 24 from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. and on August 26 from Noon to 1:30 p.m. For an electronic copy, please complete the request form at this link: https://forms.gle/3m4MB4gkHGcakFFh6.

About the City College of New York
Since 1847, The City College of New York has provided a high-quality and affordable education to generations of New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. CCNY embraces its position at the forefront of social change. It is ranked #1 by the Harvard-based Opportunity Insights out of 369 selective public colleges in the United States on the overall mobility index. This measure reflects both access and outcomes, representing the likelihood that a student at CCNY can move up two or more income quintiles. In addition, the Center for World University Rankings places CCNY in the top 1.8% of universities worldwide in terms of academic excellence. Labor analytics firm Emsi puts at $1.9 billion CCNY’s annual economic impact on the regional economy (5 boroughs and 5 adjacent counties) and quantifies the “for dollar” return on investment to students, taxpayers and society. At City College, more than 16,000 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in eight schools and divisions, driven by significant funded research, creativity and scholarship. CCNY is as diverse, dynamic and visionary as New York City itself. View CCNY Media Kit.