Our Pascal Hall Authors Series kickoff for Summer 2026! Cocktails from 5-5:30, conversation from 5:30-6:30. A book signing and reception will follow. All events in this series are free and open to the public but registration is required. Click here for tickets!
HEATHER MCGHEE designs and promotes solutions to inequality in America. Her first book, The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together spent 10 weeks on the NYT bestseller list and was long-listed for the National Boo Award and Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction, among numerous other awards. In the summer of 2022, The Sum of Us was adapted into a Spotify podcast by Higher Ground, the production company of Barack and Michelle Obama. The Sum of Us was adapted into a young adult readers’ version by Random House Children’s in February 2023. The adaptation for middle and high-school students received starred reviews from School Library Journal and Booklist, and Kirkus named it a Best Young Adult Book of the Year.
Heather’s 202 TED talk, “Racism Has a Cost for Everyone” reached 1 million views in just two months online.
Heather has tested in Congress, drafter legislation, and developed strategies for organizations and campaigns that won changes to improve the lives of millions. For nearly two decades, she helped build the non-partisan “think and do” tank Demos, serving four years as president. Through her regular media appearances, she elevates the concerns of working families on programs including NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Heather is the chair of the board of Color of Change, the country’s largest online racial justice organization, and volunteers for numerous other boards in the fields of philanthropy and social justice. Heather graduated from Yale University and the University of CA Berkeley School of Law, and has honorary degrees from Muhlenberg College, Niagara University and CUNY School of Public Health. She lives in Brooklyn with her urbanist husband and chatty preschooler.
Heather will be interviewed by Caitlin Blackford.
Barnswallow Books will have copies of her work for sale after the event.