BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//events.la.psu.edu//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:STANDARD DTSTART:20201101T020000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=11;BYDAY=1SU END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT DTSTART:20200308T020000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=3;BYDAY=2SU END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT UID:10949-817c3043c62b13f91315a866d0bc9ee3@events.la.psu.edu DTSTAMP:20260509T162802Z DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240328T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240328T190000 SUMMARY:2024 Richard B. Lippin Lecture in Ethics DESCRIPTION:\nBe a part of a conversation that shapes a better tomorrow. \n\nDive into the heart of America’s economic challenges and its failure s to serve the public. From the surge in student debt to the crumbling s tate of public infrastructure\, one common thread exists\, embedded raci sm in our politics and policymaking that affects us all.\n\nHeather McGh ee will unveil the detrimental impact of the zero-sum paradigm—the notio n that progress for some must come at the expense of others. We’ll disco ver the Solidarity Dividend—the benefits we all reap when diverse commun ities come together to achieve what is impossible alone.\n\nHeather McGh ee\n\nHeather designs and promotes solutions to inequality in America. O ver her career in public policy\, Heather has crafted legislation\, test ified before Congress and helped shape presidential campaign platforms. Her book The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prospe r Together spent 10 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and was longlisted for the National Book Award and Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction. The New York Times called it\, “The book that should cha nge how progressives talk about race.” and the Chicago Tribune said\, “R equired reading to move the country forward...”. It is a Washington Post and TIME Magazine Must-Read Book of 2021. The paperback version was rel eased in February 2022 and the book was adapted into a Spotify podcast b y Higher Ground\, the production company of Barack and Michelle Obama in June 2022. A young adult readers’ version of The Sum of Us was released by Random House Children’s in 2023 and was selected as a Best Teen and Young Adult Non-Fiction book of that year by Kirkus Reviews.\n\nHeather is an educator and most recently served as a Distinguished Visiting Lect urer in Urban Studies at the City University of New York’s School of Lab or and Urban Studies. She has also held visiting positions at Yale Unive rsity’s Brady-Johnson Grand Strategy Program and the University of Chica go’s Institute of Politics. She is the recipient of honorary degrees fro m Muhlenberg College\, Niagara University\, and CUNY Graduate School of Public Health &\; Health Policy.\n\nFor nearly two decades\, Heather helped build the non-partisan "think and do" tank Demos\, serving four y ears as president. Under McGhee’s leadership\, Demos moved their origina l idea for “debt-free college” into the center of the 2016 presidential debate\, argued before the Supreme Court to protect voting rights in Jan uary 2018\, helped win pro-voter reforms in five states over two years\, provided expert testimony to Congressional committees\, including a Sup reme Court confirmation hearing in 2017\, and led the research campaigns behind successful wage increases for low-paid workers on federal contra cts\, as well as at McDonalds\, Walmart and other chain retailers.\n\nAs an executive\, McGhee transformed Demos on multiple levels. She led a s uccessful strategic planning and rebranding process. She designed a Raci al Equity Organizational Transformation which led to an increase in staf f racial diversity (from 27 percent people of color to 60 percent in fou r years)\, an original racial equity curriculum for staff professional d evelopment and a complete overhaul of the organization’s research\, liti gation and campaign strategies using a racial equity lens. McGhee also n early doubled the organizational budget in four years. A strong coalitio n-builder and trusted cross-movement leader\, McGhee deepened Demos’ inf luence through new networks and collaborations inside and outside the Be ltway.\n\nAn influential voice in the media and a former NBC contributor \, McGhee regularly appears on NBC’s Meet the Press and MSNBC’s Morning Joe\, Deadline White House and All In. Her 2020 TED talk is entitled “Ra cism Has a Cost for Everyone”. She has shared her opinions\, writing and research in numerous outlets\, including the Washington Post\, New York Times\, Wall Street Journal\, USA Today\, Politico and National Public Radio. McGhee’s conversation on a CSPAN program in 2016 with a white man who asked for her help to overcome his racial prejudice went viral\, re ceiving more than 10 million views and sparking wide media coverage that included a New York Times op-ed\, a New Yorker piece and a CNN town hal l. In spring 2018\, Starbucks founder Howard Schultz asked McGhee to adv ise the company as it designed an anti-bias training for 250\,000 employ ees in the wake of the unjust arrest of two black men in a Philadelphia store. McGhee wrote a report with recommendations for how Starbucks can apply a racial equity lens to their businesses\, and how other companies both large and small can benefit from doing the same.\n\nMcGhee also pl ayed a leadership role in steering the historic Dodd-Frank Wall Street R eform and Consumer Protection Act\, and was one of the key advocates cre dited for the adoption of the Volcker Rule. She holds a B.A. in American Studies from Yale University and a J.D. from the University of Californ ia at Berkeley School of Law\,. McGhee is the chair of the board of Colo r Of Change\, the nation’s largest online racial justice organization\, and also serves on the boards of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund\, the Ope n Society Foundations’ US Programs and Demos.\n\nFor more information\, please visit her website and follow her on X\, Instagram\, and Facebook! \n\nResources to learn more about McGhee and her work:\n\nTED Talk “Raci sm Has a Cost for Everyone”\nFresh Air interview of McGhee on NPR\nDaily Show interview of McGhee\nNew York Times review of The Sum of Us\nMore on the book The Sum of Us\nYoung readers edition of The Sum of Us\n\nEve nt co-sponsors:\n\nUniversity Park Allocation Committee\nRock Ethics Ins titute\nThe McCourtney Institute for Democracy\nOffice of the Vice Provo st for Educational Equity\nCollege of Education\nCollege of Earth and Mi neral Sciences\nSmeal College of Business\nDepartment of African America n Studies\nDepartment of Philosophy\nDepartment of Sociology and Crimino logy\nHumanities Institute\nPaul Robeson Cultural Center\nPenn State Out reach\nPaterno Fellows Program\nPublic Policy Association\nDepartment of Women’s\, Gender\, and Sexuality Studies\n\nFor more details: https://e vents.la.psu.edu/event/lippin-lecture-2024/ X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:

Be a part o f a conversation that shapes a better tomorrow.

Dive into the heart of America’s economic challenges and its failures to serve the pu blic. From the surge in student debt to the crumbling state of public in frastructure, one common thread exists, embedded racism in our p olitics and policymaking that affects us all.

Heather McG hee will unveil the detrimental impact of the zero-sum paradigm—the noti on that progress for some must come at the expense of others. We’ll disc over the Solidarity Dividend—the benefits we all reap when diverse commu nities come together to achieve what is impossible alone.

Heather McGhee

Heather designs and promotes solutions to inequality in America. Over her career in public policy, Heather has cra fted legislation, testified before Congress and helped shape presidentia l campaign platforms. Her book The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together spent 10 weeks on the New York Times be stseller list and was longlisted for the National Book Award and Carnegi e Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction. The New York Times called it, “The book that should change how progressives talk about race.” and the Chic ago Tribune said, “Required reading to move the country forward...”. It is a Washington Post and TIME Magazine Must-Read Book of 2021. The paper back version was released in February 2022 and the book was adapted into a Spotify podcast by Higher Ground, the production company of Barack an d Michelle Obama in June 2022. A young adult readers’ version of The Sum of Us was released by Random House Children’s in 2023 and was selected as a Best Teen and Young Adult Non-Fiction book of that year by Kirkus R eviews.

Heather is an educator and most recently served as a Disti nguished Visiting Lecturer in Urban Studies at the City University of Ne w York’s School of Labor and Urban Studies. She has also held visiting p ositions at Yale University’s Brady-Johnson Grand Strategy Program and t he University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics. She is the recipient o f honorary degrees from Muhlenberg College, Niagara University, and CUNY Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy.

For nearly two decades, Heather helped build the non-partisan "think and do" tank D emos, serving four years as president. Under McGhee’s leadership, Demos moved their original idea for “debt-free college” into the center of the 2016 presidential debate, argued before the Supreme Court to protect vo ting rights in January 2018, helped win pro-voter reforms in five states over two years, provided expert testimony to Congressional committees, including a Supreme Court confirmation hearing in 2017, and led the rese arch campaigns behind successful wage increases for low-paid workers on federal contracts, as well as at McDonalds, Walmart and other chain reta ilers.

As an executive, McGhee transformed Demos on multiple level s. She led a successful strategic planning and rebranding process. She d esigned a Racial Equity Organizational Transformation which led to an in crease in staff racial diversity (from 27 percent people of color to 60 percent in four years), an original racial equity curriculum for staff p rofessional development and a complete overhaul of the organization’s re search, litigation and campaign strategies using a racial equity lens. M cGhee also nearly doubled the organizational budget in four years. A str ong coalition-builder and trusted cross-movement leader, McGhee deepened Demos’ influence through new networks and collaborations inside and out side the Beltway.

An influential voice in the media and a former N BC contributor, McGhee regularly appears on NBC’s Meet the Press and MSN BC’s Morning Joe, Deadline White House and All In. Her 2020 TED talk is entitled “Racism Has a Cost for Everyone”. She has shared her opinions, writing and research in numerous outlets, including the Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Politico and National P ublic Radio. McGhee’s conversation on a CSPAN program in 2016 with a whi te man who asked for her help to overcome his racial prejudice went vira l, receiving more than 10 million views and sparking wide media coverage that included a New York Times op-ed, a New Yorker piece and a CNN town hall. In spring 2018, Starbucks founder Howard Schultz asked McGhee to advise the company as it designed an anti-bias training for 250,000 empl oyees in the wake of the unjust arrest of two black men in a Philadelphi a store. McGhee wrote a report with recommendations for how Starbucks ca n apply a racial equity lens to their businesses, and how other companie s both large and small can benefit from doing the same.

McGhee als o played a leadership role in steering the historic Dodd-Frank Wall Stre et Reform and Consumer Protection Act, and was one of the key advocates credited for the adoption of the Volcker Rule. She holds a B.A. in Ameri can Studies from Yale University and a J.D. from the University of Calif ornia at Berkeley School of Law,. McGhee is the chair of the board of Co lor Of Change, the nation’s largest online racial justice organization, and also serves on the boards of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the Open Society Foundations’ US Programs and Demos.

For more information, please visit her website and follow her on X, Instagram, and Facebook!

Resources to lea rn more about McGhee and her work:

Event co-sponsors:

For more details: https://events.la.psu.edu/event/lippin-lecture-2024/

LOCATION:Freeman Auditorium, 117 HUB-Robeson Center END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR