Normally, I would have put this story under Health but after reading the article and seeing that steps were being taken to reverse this problem–this is definitely the beginnings of success in my book.

===

“Predominantly black colleges like Norfolk State University are stepping in, rolling out veggie-heavy menus, building walking trails and even launching campus-wide weight loss contests. Their aim: to curb the ballooning of black America by targeting the next generation.

“Our students are at a prime time in their lives where they can make choices that can prevent them from having these problems,” said Cynthia Burwell, head of Norfolk State’s internship programs and an organizer of the health effort.

Similar weight-loss initiatives have been started at five other historically black colleges: Talladega College in Alabama, Alcorn State University in Mississippi, Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, South Carolina State University and Wiley College in Texas.” (more…)