When African American communities are
still hit harder than just about anywhere by this economic downturn, and so
many families are just barely scraping
by. I think the founders would tell us that now is not the time to rest on our laurels.
* scrape
by: to have barely enough money to survive
ex> Even though Bill made six figures
a year, he was barely scraping by.
ex> When I was in college, I had to scrape
by on the income from my part-time job.
* rest
on our laurels: to stop working hard after an initial success
ex> After the popularity of their
first product, the company rested on its laurels and was soon driven out
of business.
And that’s why I really wanted to come
here today – because I wanted to talk with you about an issue that I believe cries out for our attention – one that
is of particular concern to me, not just as First Lady, but as a mother who
believes that we owe it to our kids
to prepare them for the challenges that we know lie ahead.
* cry
out for: to metaphorically “scream” to be attended to
ex> The gun control problem in
America has been crying out for attention for years.
* owe
it to someone: to be responsible for providing something to someone
ex> We owe it to future
generations to keep the earth clean and healthy.
Now, right now in America, one in three
children is overweight or obese, putting
them at greater risk of obesity-related conditions like diabetes and cancer, heart
disease, asthma.
* put someone/something at risk: to
cause another to be in harm’s way
ex> We need you to sign a waiver
saying that you accept responsibility for being put at risk during the
rafting trip.
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