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DOUG JOHNSON: Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC, in VOA Special English.
I’m Doug Johnson. On our show this week:
The Grammy-nominated music of Ray Charles and some friends …
A question about a weighty part of college life …
And a look at the upcoming observance of Black History Month.
Black History Month
Black History Month begins Tuesday in the United States. The ideafor this yearly observance dates back to the work of an AfricanAmerican historian, Carter Woodson. Faith Lapidus has our story.
FAITH LAPIDUS: Carter Woodson wasborn in Virginia in eighteen seventy-five. He was the son of formerslaves. As a young man, Mister Woodson worked as a coal miner.Later, he studied at Harvard University and received a doctoratedegree.
Carter Woodson became an educator. He saw that not much waswritten about the involvement of black people in American history.And what was written was not always correct.
So, in nineteen-fifteen Mister Woodson formed the Association forthe Study of Negro Life and History. The goal was to organize andsupport research into black history.
In nineteen twenty-six, one week in February was chosen toobserve what was then called Negro History Week. In nineteenseventy-six, it became Black History Month.
This year, Black History Month honors the Niagara Movement. Thatmovement was formed in nineteen oh five by another educator andHarvard graduate, W.E.B. DuBois.
The Niagara Movement rejected the ideas of Booker T. Washington,a leading black thinker of the time. He did not think black peopleshould protest unfair treatment by the white majority. He thoughtthey should accept it for a time. Booker T. Washington urged AfricanAmericans to try to improve their place in society through hardwork.
The Niagara Movement of W.E.B. DuBois called for completepolitical, civil and social rights for black Americans. The NiagaraMovement lasted only five years. But, it led to the creation of theNational Association for the Advancement of Colored People. TheN-double-A-C-P is still active today in the fight to end racism andimprove conditions for people of color in America.
Freshman Fifteen
DOUG JOHNSON: Our VOA listenerquestion this week comes from Japan. Fumio Nishimoto teaches Englishat the Osaka University of Foreign Studies. His students have heardabout the “freshman fifteen.” They want to know what it means.
It means fifteen pounds, or about seven kilograms. This is howmuch weight students might expect to gain in their first year ofcollege.
People used to talk about the “freshman ten.” Before that, it wasthe “freshman five.” Are freshman more inflated, or just theexpression?
The fact is, many young men and women do put on extra weight whenthey start college. Some schools have done research on the issue.Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, has found that freshmen gainan average of four pounds during their first twelve weeks. That isalmost two kilograms.
If weight gain continues at this rate, how long before they puton fifteen pounds? Let’s see [scribbling sounds] … that’s onepound every three weeks, times fifteen, equals …
The answer is forty-five weeks, or almost a year.
The next question is, why do so many freshmen gain weight? Theanswers listed by experts are not so surprising. One is poor diet.College students often eat foods high in fat and sugar and starch.After all, there are no parents around to say no to junk food.
Students may also miss meals. They could be in class or studyingor just … busy. In any case, those who miss meals are more likely toovereat when they do have food.
Also, freshmen often use food to put their mind at ease. Theyhave college pressures to deal with. Not only that, many are livingaway from home for the first time.
Another reason college students gain weight is that they often donot get enough exercise.
Finally, there is something else that can add up to the “freshmanfive” or ten or fifteen. That is alcohol. Alcohol is high incalories. This is especially true of beer. And, no, freshmen are notsupposed to be drinking. Not unless they are twenty-one, the legaldrinking age in America.
For many college students, the extra weight they put on in theirfreshman year can be as hard to escape as term papers and finalexams.
Genius Loves Company
The American music industry willpresent its Grammy Awards on February thirteenth in Los Angeles,California. An album by Ray Charles has been nominated for tenGrammy Awards. Jim Tedder tells us about it.
JIM TEDDER: The famous singer and musician Ray Charles died inJune. “Genius Loves Company” is the last album he recorded. Heperformed songs with Natalie Cole, Elton John, Willie Nelson, BonnieRaitt, James Taylor and other famous artists. “Genius Loves Company”is nominated for Best Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album andeight other Grammy Awards.
This song, “Here We Go Again,” is nominated for Record of theYear. Ray Charles sings it with Norah Jones.
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“Genius Loves Company” was released in August. It has sold morethan two million copies in the United States alone. This is morethan any other record Ray Charles made during his sixty years ofrecording music.
Another song on the album, “Heaven Help Us All,” was nominatedfor Best Gospel Performance. Here are Ray Charles and Gladys Knight.
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Ray Charles made two hundred fifty recordings. He received twelveGrammy Awards and many other honors. A popular new movie about hislife, called “Ray,” opened in October. Critics highly praised themovie. We leave you now with another Grammy-nominated song from”Genius Loves Company.” It is “Sinner’s Prayer” with Ray Charles andB.B. King.
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DOUG JOHNSON: I’m Doug Johnson. I hope you enjoyed our programthis week.
This show was written by Shelley Gollust, Jill Moss and CatyWeaver. Our producer was Paul Thompson. And our engineer was EfeemDrucker.
Join us again next week for AMERICAN MOSAIC, VOA’s radio magazinein Special English.