Lost Voices
FAMILY AND CHURCH
Maudella White Taylor was raised in a large family
which included her parents, five brothers and two
sisters. When Maudella was a child, her mother was at the
family's center, providing nurturance, stability and a
sense of unity. 
The importance of
family was broadened and strengthened by Maudella's
experiences at church. In fact, for Maudella, the roles
of church and family were intertwined. As Taylor states: In my early life I was
reared in a Christian family and we were Presbyterians...
and consequently I was interested early in life in
recreation because in the basement of our church we
learned most games and that's where we actually had
recreation for the entire family. It was this
love of recreation and fun, combined with a sense of
family and learning, that Maudella was driven to create
in all of her future endeavors.
While the roles of church and family were central
during Taylor's childhood, as an adult she recognized
that times had changed: It
is quite different now than it was when I was a child
because the recreation came from your home and the
church. Plus the fact that... the fathers went out to do
the work. Mother was at home. The mother knew when the
child left, the time the child was supposed to be back
from school. Well that indicates now that, the economic
status as it is, there are many mothers who, their
children might see them in the morning and they might
not. It was these economically difficult
times that Taylor tried to alleviate as she filled in the
gap, helping mothers and children, by creating the
family-oriented community center which stressed moral
behavior while providing fun and learning.
Biography | Education | Race and Region | Effect on Community