Reflecting on Heather McGhee’s The Sum of Us through a South African Lens

Authors

Marthinus Van LoggerenbergFollow

Document Type

Article

Abstract

A South African native living in the USA explores and examines the essence of The Sum of Us by contemplating three post-Apartheid realizations in context of structural racism in the US: the illusion of being “born free”, the value of the philosophy of Ubuntu (“I am because we are”), and the role of respect in addressing racism. Ideas around shared narratives, reconciliation, mutual understanding, human value and freedom as something to be strived for, are denoted in relation to dismantling systemic racism for the sake of future generations in the US.

Citation Information

Van Loggerenberg, Marthinus (2022) "Reflecting on Heather McGhee’s The Sum of Us through a South African Lens," Journal of Interdisciplinary Perspectives and Scholarship: Vol. 6, Article 5.
Available at: https://repository.usfca.edu/jips/vol6/iss1/5