Modestly Yours

Beating the Odds

I made it! Yes, I made it.

I am the offspring of a single parent. I live on the South Side of Chicago and I recently graduated from a public high school-- with my virginity intact. Yes, I'm  a 17-year-old virgin!

Statistics would dictate that with my background, I would have been sexually active since about my freshman year, had a number of sex partners and even had a baby or an abortion by this time in my life. Thank God I know I have the power to beat the odds.

Yes, guys try to talk to me all the time. But when I tell them that I'm abstinent and waiting until marriage--they get to steppin'. And that's okay. Any guy who I would want to be friends with would want the very best for me and I for him. I wouldn't want to jeopardize someone's future for a few minutes of "horozontal hoochie." If a guy would put my future on the line for the same, he obviously is not the one for me.

Oh, it hasn't been easy. Teens want to fit in. We want to have friends. We want people to like us. But what price are we willing to pay?  I had to pay. I wasn't part of the "in" crowd during the past four years. I could count the number of close friends on one hand and still have five fingers left over. Classmates may not have liked me--but they respected me.

My senior year was a wonderful year, despite the toll that comes with standing on what I  believe. In September, I spent a week in Washington, DC speaking to high school and junior high students about abstienence. I continued speaking engagemnts across the Chicagoland area. The Chicago Jazz Philharmonic selected me to be part of their 2007 All-Star  Student Jazz Combo and the group opened for jazz vocalist Kurt Elling at the Auditorium Theatre. I formed my own jazz ensemble, Just Friends, and we have been getting gigs at different events. In the fall, I am going to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on a full-tuition scholarship.

I'm looking forward to moving on to the next level. I know college will present new challenges academically, emotionally and socially! For the past 17 years I've been taking baby steps to get to this point in my life and now I'm ready to stand on my own. I know I can make it. I'm movin' on up to live my destiny.

Living Life to the Fullest

Wow! It's true. Time does really fly when you're having fun. That's why you haven't heard from your girl lately. I've been living it up!

Just for a quick recap, in March I was the keynote speaker at the Generation Life Chastity Days in Philadelphia. During the three-day program, I spoke to nearly 4,000 eighth graders about the importance of living a pure life. They were so excited to hear the message and encouraged that they too could make a conscientious choice to live a life that's sex-free until marriage. At one school as the students filed out of the auditorium, you could hear some of them yelling out, "We love you Taylor!" I was so touched.

April was spring break time! I traveled to Los Angeles as a member of my school's Concert Choir. We had a blast! We did the traditional touristy things--Rodeo Drive, the Hollywood Walk of Fame etc.--but we also toured the campuses of USC, UCLA and Stanford. What an awesome opportunity. I have to explore all options. Even got the opportunity of a lifetime to play with gospel icon Andre Crouch when the choir was invited to perform at his church. Can you image, me on drums backing up Rev. Crouch on keyboards? It was awesome!

In May, I played at Ravinia. It's an open-air music venue about an hour outside of Chicago. I was selected to be part of the 2006 Ravinia Jazz Scholars program. What a great opportunity to study with jazz legend Willie Pickens. Memorial Day weekend I was hanging out with Grammy-winning recording artist Marvin Winans of the The Winans fame. Well, actually, it was the entire concert choir! Pastor Winans invited the choir to perform at his annual convocation in Detroit. What an incredible spiritual experience!

As soon as school was out in June, I was on my way to the Univeristy of Minnesota in Minneapolis. I won a scholarship to participate in a two-week theater program. I had a great time there and am seriously considering U of M as my school of choice for college. When I got back, four days later I was off to the University of Louisville for a week-long jazz camp program with the other Ravinia jazz scholars. It was a great learning experience and I'm so excited about the possibilities that music holds for my life. Next week, I'm scheduled to start an internship at a local bank. I'll be in the marketing department and getting a feel for what it really means to work a 9-to-5.

I've said all that to say, I've been living my life to the max. I'm not sitting around waiting for a boy to call.  I'm not crying because I think my boyfriend is cheating on me with another girl.  I'm not worrying about whether I'm pregnant. I'm not thinking about whether I've been exposed to some sexually transmitted disease. I'm simply living my life to the fullest and abstinence gives me the freedom to do just that!

Until next time, keep your head to the sky!

Your girl,

Taylor

Spreading the Word

Hello to all of you out there in blog land. Hope you didn't think I had forgotten about you. Time just got away from me. I guess the adage, "Time flies when you're having fun," really is true.

Here's what I've been up to lately. On February 24, Project Reality, the abstinence education organization based in Glenview, Il, held its annual 2006 Teens Speak out dinner gala. This year's theme was "How would you spread the abstinence message among your peers?" I was so excited and inspired to see so many young people participating in the competition. While I served as the keynote speaker for the evening, the words of these young people really said it all.

Also in Feb, there was Abstinence Day on the Hill sponsored by Congressman Lee Terry of Nebraska. I spent two days on Capitol Hill speaking to legislators or their aides about the importance of funding abstinence-until-marriage programs. Congressman Danny Davis of Chicago, my honorary God father because he has been just a blessing in my life, took the time to talk with me and hear my views about this very important issue.

Project Reality sponsored a wonderful reception that evening that attracted a bipartisan crowd that included illustrious photographer Roy Lewis and Bernie Reyes and her daughter Marie, who my mom and I met at the Abstinence Clearinghouse conference last August, and they're like family to us. I spoke at the reception and performed my soon-to-be released abstinence anthem "I'm Worth Waiting For." (Yes, I'll keep you posted on the release date!)

Three weeks later I was headed to Dallas to be the keynote speaker at an abstinence rally sponsored by the Good Nests Abstinence Program of the Jordan Community Development Corp. Program director Rob Guy did an outstanding job bringing youth together for this event. I enjoyed speaking to the young people and they came up to meet and greet me afterwards. They said they could really relate to my stories about how the fellas try to hit on me at school, but I just let them know I'm worth waiting for  and advised them to do the same.

Whew! So you can see I've been busy. Not to mention staying on to of my regular schoolwork, playing in the school band, singing with the choir and speaking at churches and youth groups locally. All I can say is, if anyone out there is bored or is constantly saying, "ain't nothing to do," try spreading the word.

You'll be busier than you ever imagined.

February Fashion Sense

When we think February, the 14th almost immediately comes to mind. Valentine's Day means big business for candymakers and florists and of course, underwear!

Victoria Secret has a new Pink line that they swear is not geared toward teens and 'tweens, but a report in a Chicago newpaper recently reported that's their biggest customer base. Then there's Abercrombie & Fitch who've been debasing young women with crass slogans emblazoned on their t-shirts. And of course, there are the stores that carry the thongs for adolescent girls so they can be just like the big girls. For all those who are obsessed with the female posterior, there is Apple Bottom jeans. 

I feel that clothing that focuses on breasts, derriers, navels or any other particular physical attribute really reduces girls and women to only a fraction of who they really are, and have been created to be.

Recently one of the guys at school commented that he thought I was sexy. Well, I was floored. One, because I'm not trying to be sexy and two, because I don't dress in revealing fashions. As I stood there, with a pair of jeans paired with a turtleneck sweater and a blazer (kinda looking like a young Condoleeza Rice) I couldn't help but respond, "What?"
He said, "Yeah! You're cute. You're always dressed nice. You look so professional. You have a nice personality. And you're smart."

I was floored again! I try to show people in my dress that I'm nice to be around and I'm intelligent, but it's always good to know there are guys out there who appreciate that.  Whew! All I can say is that while the world tells us that "less is more," common sense would suggest that, in fact, "more is more."

Your girl in the Windy City,

Taylor

P.S. If you have any questions for me about something that's going on with you, please leave them in the comment section and I'll respond on upcoming blogs.

Celebrating King Day

On Friday, January 13, I sang with my school choir at Mayor Richard M. Daley's annual Martin Luther King Interfaith Breakfast. It was held downtown at the Chicago Hilton and religious leaders from all faiths and of all ethnicities gathered to celebrate this visionary. The keynote speaker for the morning was Martin Luther King III, who said he was only 10 years old when his father was assassinated and counted that moment in time as the most difficult he has ever faced. He spoke of his father's vision for America and the world, of how far we've come and how far we still have to go. He spoke of how in our fast-paced, ever-changing world we have more time-saving devices, but less time to enjoy the time we've been given. He mentioned the images that flood the media, dictating to us who and what we are.

I never really had thought much about how King tied into modesty or abstinence but then it hit me. King's dream was that we all be able to live the very best life that we possibly can; the best life that our Creator designed us to live--regardless of religious affiliation or ethnic background.Suddenly, there was the connection.

Can we live that "best life" if we do not value ourselves and our bodies? If we are showing off cleavage and showcasing our booties, will that lead to us being the very best we can be? I think not. Marty III said his dad didn't fight for change, he challenged people to make change!

On MLK Day and everyday, let's challenge ourselves and others to live the best life we can live.

Peace,
Taylor

My Peers' Reaction (You're Gonna Be Surprised)

Happy New Year everyone!!

Here's wishing all of you out there in blogland a healthy, happy and prosperous '06. I brought the new year in celebrating with family and friends. Even with all the negative things that are going on in the world, this is a wonderful time to be alive. I feel that the possibilities are endless and not even the sky is the limit, because I know there is something even beyond the sky. It's so exciting to be alive and everyday is a journey, leading us on the path to do what we were created to do and be what we were created to be. I truly believe that I was created for just a time as this to spread a message of abstinence, excellence and nonviolence to young people.

Speaking of which, after reading earlier blog entries, many people have wondered out loud how my peers react to me and my message. Well, after traveling all over the Chicagoland area and many cities from coast to coast, I've never had a young person come up to me afterwards and tell me that what I was saying was corny, lame or unrealistic--especially when it comes to abstinence. We are so bombarded with sexual images, you'd think that a message of chastity, modesty and virtue would be pooh-poohed. But it's not. In fact, I find so many youth really thirst for something other than what they're being force-fed in the media.

During one speaking engagement this summer on the Westside of Chicago, I talked to youngsters at a back-to-school rally. The weather was warm and the community center was filled with young girls wearing short-shorts, form-fitting jeans and tank tops which showed their midriffs. I, on the other hand, wore the layered look, a nice summer tank top which was under a cotton blazer and sporting a pair of jeans that actually fit me.

Honestly, I thought most of them would get up and walk out when I started talking out the importance of being smart instead of sexy and not dressing like a hoochie. But to my surprise, when the event was over, they swarmed around me. They wanted to hug me. They held my hand. They wanted to get an autograph. It was as if they were starving for something new, something uplifting. And when I sang "I'm Worth Waiting For," an abstinence anthem, they really were into it, singing the hook and everything. Even single adults there said they appreciated the message and could apply it to their own lives.

Some of you might still be asking, "Well, what about at school where people see you everyday?" Well, when I'm in school, I'm the same Taylor. I carry myself a certain way and I project an image of being positive, intelligent and on the move. No, I don't walk down the halls making speeches about abstinence or telling couples all intertwined kissing and hugging in the hallways to "get a room." I don't look down on those who think, act, dress or have different morals than I do. I just let them see that there is another way. I live my beliefs and nothing speaks louder than that.

I heard a quote recently--don't know where it's from--but it really hit home for me. It says, "Be the change you want to see in the world." And that's how I try to live my life daily. How would you like to see the world changed in 2006?


Blessings from your girl in the Chi,

Taylor

Keeping Busy

  As the holiday season approaches and the old year winds up, I was just thinking about the year in review. This year has held so many new and exciting adventures and I know that I am truly blessed as I look back over the past 12 months.

    In January I performed my tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King before a crowd of 2,000-plus at Mayor's Daley annual King Interfaith Breakfast. Speaking engagements mushroomed in February as newspapers carried articles about my "dream keepers and dream haters" message. When March blew in I was off to Washington DC to do some lobbying on behalf of abstinence on Capitol Hill with Project Reality.

    April and May brought a slew of speaking engagements. By the grace of God, I continue to excel academically, while bringing my message to others. In June, I traveled to Nashville, TN to record "I'm Worth Waiting For," an abstinence anthem. July was spent enjoying an internship as a percussionist with the South Shore Cultural Center Jazz Ensemble. What a blast! We jammed!

In August--on the 15th to be exact--I turned sweet 16. Just had a nice, quiet celebration with my mom and godmother. September rolls around real quick and it's back to school for my junior year. I was quoted in a U.S. News and World Report article on sex education in October and sang my heart out with the Kenwood Concert Choir in November (after collecting can goods for local food pantries).

    And here it is December. Some young people claim they're bored. Others spend so much time trying to fit in with the "in crowd," they lose themselves in the process. Finding who we really are means following our heart, not the crowd.  Doing what we know is right, living life to the fullest, never settling for less than the best.

Beyond Beyonce

Hey. What's up out there in blogland! My name is Taylor Moore and I am a few months into my junior year at Kenwood Academy in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood and I am so excited about all the wonderful things this school year will hold. I'm in the school's jazz band, marching band and concert choir and I do the school-wide announcements every morning. It feels sooooo good to be an upperclassman--make that upper-class person.

The main thing that's been on my mind lately--outside of school stuff--is teen abstinence. I've spoken at several back-to-school rallies and I remind the girls not to worry about being sexy; focus on being smart. I tell the guys don't try to be hard and all thugged-out; focus on being intelligent and respectful. What do those things have to do with abstinence? Well, when young girls get caught up in the "Beyonce" look and guys want to be "gangstas," this just sets the stage for making other poor decisions, like drinking, doing drugs, cutting classes, neglecting school and engaging in premarital sex.

The Bible tells us that our bodies are temples of God and we should consider that in all we do. What are you doing to your temple or with your temple to give Him Glory?

That's it for now.

Taylor in the Chi