Angela Patton facts for kids

Angela Patton is an amazing activist who helps young African-American girls. She likes to call them "at-promise" girls, meaning they have a lot of potential! Angela started Camp Diva and is the CEO of Girls For A Change (GFAC) since 2012.

At GFAC, Angela works hard to make sure young girls of color feel important, heard, and celebrated as they grow up. Through programs before and after school, and fun summer camps, GFAC teaches girls aged 6–14 important skills for a bright future. GFAC helps improve neighborhoods around Richmond, Virginia, by showing how positive changes can happen.

In 2012, Angela became well-known after giving a speech called "A father-daughter dance...in prison" at the TEDxWomen event. She talked about how Camp Diva started a special father-daughter dance for girls whose dads were in prison. She shared how this dance helped their relationships and the Richmond community. Over 800,000 people watched her inspiring speech! Angela has received many awards for her great work.

Learning and Helping Others

Angela Patton studied Business Administration at ECPI University. She also got a special certificate in Non-profit Management from Virginia Commonwealth University. This training helped her learn how to create and run organizations that help people, like Camp Diva.

Working for the Community

Angela has spent more than 20 years working with groups that help people in the Richmond, Virginia area. She worked with places like the YMCA and the Children's Museum of Richmond. Angela is also a licensed nurse and a doula, which means she supported new mothers. She also helped people living with serious illnesses.

Angela is part of the board for the East District Family Resource Center. This center helps people in the East End area by offering emergency help, education programs, and ways to find jobs. All her work shows how much she cares about helping people who need it most.

Camp Diva: A Special Place

Camp Diva started in 2004. It was created to honor Diva Mstadi Smith-Roan, a five-year-old girl who sadly passed away that year. Angela worked with Diva's mother, Clover Smith, to create a summer camp where Diva's spirit of joy could live on.

Fun and Learning at Camp

During this five-week summer camp, African-American girls aged 11–15 have a lot of fun! They do activities like cooking, sewing, dancing, and swimming. Through these activities, the girls learn important social skills that help them grow into strong, confident young women.

Over the years, Camp Diva has also offered special programs before and after school. In these programs, young girls learn about starting their own businesses, different job opportunities, and useful life skills. Camp Diva works hard to keep its programs affordable or even free for families who don't have much money. They raise money through fundraisers and events to make this possible.

Father-Daughter Dance in Prison

In 2007, Camp Diva held its first yearly father-daughter dance. This event showed how important the relationship between a father and daughter is as a girl grows up. As more and more people came to the dance each year, Angela realized that many girls couldn't join because their fathers were in prison.

Making a Dream Come True

So, Angela and the girls decided to write to the Richmond City Jail. They asked for permission to host their own father-daughter dance inside the jail! The Richmond City Jail agreed, understanding that strong family connections can help inmates change their lives for the better. To attend the dance, the fathers in prison had to take a 30-hour parenting class.

On March 17, 2013, 16 fathers and 18 girls attended the very first father-daughter dance held inside a jail. This special event became famous across the country after being featured in a Washington Post article and Angela's TED talk. Camp Diva still holds its yearly father-daughter dance at the Richmond City Jail. Other prisons, like Miami's Federal Detention Center, have also started their own father-daughter dances for girls with incarcerated fathers.

Awards and Recognition

Angela Patton's hard work for her community has been noticed! She has been called "Virginians Making a Difference" and received "The Cultural and Leadership Award." She earned these honors for her non-profit work in the Richmond area.

National Recognition

After Angela's TED talk was released and shown on NPR, ABC World News, and Inside Edition, her important mission became known all over the country. In 2016, President Obama even nominated and awarded Angela as a "Champion of Change for Enrichment for Marginalized Girls." This special title was given to ten people who work to improve and empower the lives of girls who face challenges, through after-school programs and other activities.

Many foundations have also helped Girls For A Change financially. For example, in 2003, Girls For A Change received a three-year grant from the Draper Richards Foundation. This money helped GFAC start and run its programs. In 2014, GFAC also received a generous grant from the Allianz Foundation.

Angela Patton won a Peabody Award in 2024 for the film Daughters (2024). She won for showing great understanding of how young women feel as they learn about the challenges of living in America.