Baby Bonds

Abstract

When we first developed the original version of the “Baby Bonds” proposal toward the end of the first decade of the 21st century, the motivation was our perception of the timidity of the Obama administration about implementing policies that were designed specifically to improve the condition of Black Americans. The only significant Black-specific program introduced under Obama’s presidency was “My Brother’s Keeper,” a project based upon the premises of Black male dysfunction and Black family pathology. Instead, we sought to design a plan intended for all Americans—what can be described as a universal program rather than a Black-specific program—that might have a disproportionate benefit for Black Americans.