Little Girls: Incarcerated Dads; Loving From the Inside Out

Angela W. Patton, a native of Richmond, Virginia, is Founder and Executive Director of CAMP DIVA. CAMP DIVA was born out of tragedy when a five-year-old named Diva Mstadi Smith-Roane lost her life due to a firearm accident on January 25, 2004. CAMP DIVA, is a fun and educational non-profit program that empowers teen girls 11-17 to prepare themselves in every way for their passage into womanhood. 

Patton is also currently fundraising and producing a documentary called “Locked In NOT Locked Out.” It will tell the story of how a group of teen girls started a father-daughter dance (The Date with Dad Dinner & Dance), that ended up being held behind bars (A Dance of Their Own), bringing incarcerated fathers together with their daughters with the goal of strengthening their relationships, and giving the daughters exactly what they asked for…their fathers!  But the story doesn’t end there. What happens when the dance ends…do the relationships continue? Do they get stronger, or do circumstances threaten them? 

The wife of a supportive and committed husband, Re (her rock) and the mother of two loving children, Imhotep and Asani (her inspiration), Angela says that nothing would be possible without the support of her family, and practicing 'family first.' 

This story of Camp Diva's Daddy Daughter Dance in the Richmond City Jail has gone viral and been told on NBC News, Inside Edition and Ms. Patton as appeared on TedEX in December. She says that "even though