In his State of the Union speech in January, President Obama said he was planning a new initiative to help “more young men of color facing tough odds to stay on track and reach their full potential.” Last week, Obama launched “My Brother’s Keeper.” In essence, the president will use the power of his office to nudge foundations, corporations, and state and local governments to find ways to help “young men of color stay in school and out of the criminal justice system,” as the Washington Post put it.

There is an obvious question here. By “color,” the president means “black and brown,” as his former faith-based adviser, Joshua DuBois, wrote in the Daily Beast. But why is the initiative limited to African-American and Hispanic young men? Why is it not open to young men regardless of color—and, for that matter, young women, too?