The racial history of the 'overpopulation time bomb' and 'pronatalism' movements

NPR | By Gene Demby,

Michel Martin

Published October 28, 2025 at 4:00 AM CDT

Code Switch explores the racial history of two seemingly opposing movements that inform today's declining birthrates.

Gene Demby

Gene Demby is the co-host and correspondent for NPR's Code Switch team.

Michel Martin

Michel Martin is a host of Morning Edition.