Aahana Swrup
Netflix’s ‘Daughters’ chronicles the journeys of young girls and their incarcerated fathers as they prepare for a father-daughter dance program at a Washington, D.C. jail. The narrative focuses on four girls, Aubrey, Satana, Ja’Ana, and Raziah, each with varying relationships with their fathers. Through the program, the girls’ fathers—Keith, Mark, Frank, and Alonso—get a chance to talk through the complications of familial separation that accompany their situations, paving the way for hope and amendments.
The narrative’s central program is a part of the Date With Dad Weekend, an event organized by Filmmaker Angela Patton’s non-profit, Girls For A Change. In the documentary, Patton’s presence is felt more as a director behind the camera than in front of it. Yet, her inspirational efforts toward ensuring a bright future for young Black girls are bound to catch the viewers’ attention, compelling them to grow curious about her life.
Angela Patton is the CEO of Girls For A Change
Angela Patton has always remained a strong voice in the call for systemic change in culture and has been working within activist and social work circles for decades now. She founded the Camp Diva Leadership Academy in 2004 in Richmond, Virginia. Since its inception, the program has grown to achieve national significance—with its success catapulted through its integration into the Girls For A Change non-profit in October 2013. In the mid-2010s, when Patton was working her way up GFAC leadership and occupied the position of Chief Executive, the then-president, Barak Obama, recognized her efforts and labeled her a White House Champion of Change.
Today, Patton’s vision continues to support young Black girls, offering them a space and the tools to celebrate their identity, culture, and values in an immersive camp experience. Part of her organization’s summer program includes field trips, workshops, mentorships, and more—all the while nurturing young kids’ sense of identity and encouraging them toward their aspirations. Alongside the Camp Diva Leadership Academy, the founder also helms the Girls For A Change, or GFAC organization as the CEO. She has achieved various feats in her career and has received accolades for the same, including the 2019 Person of the Year title by the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
In November 2023, Patton and her organization, the GFAC, accomplished another triumph by winning The Metropolitan Business League 2023 Non-Profit Partner of the Year. Her efforts with the ‘A Dance of Their Own’ event also allow her space to speak about the impact of incarceration, which she recently spoke about in a conversation with National Prison Radio. Furthermore, Patton’s work toward championing the young girls who pass through the GFAC banner extends even beyond as she continues to remain connected with alumnae of the past. In fact, when her documentary ‘Daughters’ made it to Sundance in 2024, she invited Iyanna Hardin, a former GFAC participant and aspiring film producer, to the event and opened up a world of possibilities for the young woman.
Angela Patton’s Successful Debut as a Filmmaker
In the early years after Camp Diva Leadership Academy’s establishment, they organized their first Date with Dad Weekend in ‘Girl Action Team’ partnership with Girls For A Change. The event was a community-wide Daddy-daughter dance meant to enhance and strengthen the relationship between young girls and their fathers. Nevertheless, many individuals weren’t able to partake in the event due to their fathers’ unfortunate incarcerations. Even so, once the idea of a daddy-daughter dance organized in jail was pitched, numerous young girls wrote to the then-local Sheriff, C.T. Woody. Consequently, the first ‘A Dance of Their Own’ event took place. In 2013, Patton made the same emotionally nuanced event the topic of her TEDWomen talk.
Years later, Patton and her organization continue coordinating the event as a crucial part of their program. Eventually, the program grew past Virginia, reaching Washington D.C. Thus, eight years ago, Patton embarked on her first foray into the world of filmmaking, as she partnered with Natalie Rae as co-directors in documenting the stories surrounding the program. As such, ‘Daughters’ entered the 2024 Sundance Film Festival and came out the other side with the Festival Favorite Award and the Audience Award: Documentary. Likewise, ‘Daughters’ has been featured in various other film festivals and has won numerous awards and accolades.
Consequently, Patton, the new filmmaker, has recently been involved in promoting her award-winning documentary. Earlier in July, she participated in a panel at Bravemaker Film Fest after her film’s screening. She also participated in discussions about the documentary after a screening at Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival. In anticipation of the film’s theatrical release, the cast and crew behind ‘Daughters’ also attended a special screening in New York, where the debut director met various people, including Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, and Michele Stephenson. Thus, Patton’s step into filmmaking remains highlighted in critical and public acclaim.
Angela Patton Advocates for Young Black Voices
Even though Angela Patton prefers to keep most of her personal life out of the public eye, she retains a significant public presence as an activist and continues to use her platform to advocate for social change. She has also set foot in the realm of authoring a book by co-writing the 2021 non-fiction, ‘Finding Her Voice: How Black Girls in White Spaces Can Speak Up and Live Their Truth,’ alongside other writers. Through her work with the Girls For A Change as well as her moving documentary, ‘Daughters,’ she continues to put young Black girls’ empowerment at the forefront. Her Instagram account is ripe with various updates on her endeavors and accomplishments, allowing fans a peek into her professional life.
At the 2024 A Day of Unreasonable Conversation event, Patton attended as a featured speaker and shared her experiences with various other creatives of Hollywood. Likewise, Patton’s documentary continues to produce rewarding results, such as the Subject Matter organization’s grant, which was used to establish education funds for the girls involved in the film. Thus, Patton remains a crucial source of inspiration and hope through both her social and creative work.
