Girls for A Change

First Lady Pam Northam hosted a post-inauguration brunch headlined by Angela Patton, the CEO of Girls With A Change, a Richmond area non-profit that supports young women of color, in a ticketed event at the Jefferson Hotel this morning.

The brunch opened with a recital by the American Youth Harp Ensemble, a nationally-recognized ensemble that accepts youths regardless of financial means.

GFAC youth with Northam, Patton. Photo by AM

Patton’s opening remarks introduced her organization. “Girls For A Change starts with one of the most powerful and wasted resources on the planets: Girls. Specifically, girls of color.”

She introduced Karen Forget, an executive director of river conservation group Lynnhaven River NOW, and Northam’s former boss. Forget spoke about Northam’s background in education and ecology before introducing the new First Lady. “We will need to bring everyone to the table,” to fight challenges like climate change and rising sea levels, she said, “and I don’t know anyone better at that than Pam Northam.”

Northam spoke to the importance of protecting water, noting that the tables were named after rivers all over Virginia, from the Shenandoah to smaller rivers like the Dan. “The next brunch will be a little different,” she said, referencing the splendor of the Jefferson ballroom. “I’ll invite you all to put on your waders and join me for a river clean-up.”

Following heavy applause, she extended an invitation to join her at a volunteer effort to clean up Richmond’s historic Evergreen Cemetery for the annual Martin Luther King Jr. day of service tomorrow, 9 – 12 PM.

After thanking the inaugural committee for choosing a vegetarian brunch, she teased the new governor, saying, “Ralph you can have a sandwich when we get home.”

The importance of women carried through the event, from the all-woman harp ensemble, to her thank-you speech. She said she was singling out two more, Cerina Fairfax and Laura Herring, married to Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax and Attorney General Mark Herring, for their help with the Democratic sweep of the top offices.

Northam proposed to focus on early-education over the next four years. “I’m surrounded by neuroscientists,” she said as she spoke about the importance of pre-k and developing minds. “Let’s start at the beginning with our greatest treasures….our children.”

First Lady and Governor Northam. Photo by BW

Outgoing First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe drew praise for her work to provide “12 million additional meals for Virginia children,” and Northam said she would build on that work as well as a range of issues including healthcare, clean air, clean water, and spaces to play and learn.

She finished her remarks with two quotes. The first was a much-quoted line from The Summer Day, a poem by her favorite poet, Mary Oliver. “What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

Northam recruits volunteers after. Photo by BW

The second, from Michelle Obama, underscored the role of women and the importance of equality. “As women, we must stand up for ourselves. As women, we must stand up for each other. As women, we must stand up for justice for all.”

In attendance were many of the newly-elected delegates, including Danica Roem, Debra Rodman, and Schuyler VanVelkenburg. Justin Fairfax was also spotted mingling with guests before the brunch program began.

Larkin Garbee and Angela Patton. Photo BW

Patton was sitting with local entrepreneur and philanthropist Larkin Garbee, a supporter of her organization. After the brunch, Patton spoke about the incoming administration. “Things are shifting fast. This opportunity wouldn’t even have been available to my mother, and she’s a young 70-years old.”

“Most everyone appreciates what we’re doing,” she said about the work, but she brought up that she’s had a few critics. “One gentleman today, just one, told me that we’re going backward. Working with girls of color isn’t about excluding anyone, though. We’re just tapping into the most vulnerable population with a goal of getting us caught up.”

She’d brought several of the girls she works with, including Danielle Freeman-Jackson, a senior at Henrico High School, who told us what the day meant for her. “It’s big. She’s not just Ralph Northam’s wife, she’s a successful woman in STEM. I’m going into STEM, and it’s so empowering to see her with Angela Patton, supporting girls of color like myself.”

Cover photo by Branden Wilson. Other photos by Branden Wilson (BW) or Allison MacEwen (AM).

Virginia Politics Sponsored by F.W. Sullivans

A new mural can be found on the corner of East Broad and North 1st streets, one that explicitly celebrates black girls, and demands that they be treated with the respect they deserve.

The initial idea for the mural came from Girls For A Change, a Virginia-based organization whose mission is to empower and support girls of color to enact social change and to work for a brighter future for black women.

“Across our nation, we continue to know that black girls, unfortunately, are not valued,” said Angela Patton, CEO of Girls For A Change. “These girls decided that they wanted the mural to represent narrative change about the presence of black women and girls.”

In November of 2016, Girls For A Change students from John Marshall High School spoke to the Office of Community Wealth Building about the prejudices that black girls face, as well as the economic realities that the girls have struggled with. The department’s director, Reggie Gordon, asked the girls about their ideas on how to deal with poverty in their communities.

“One of the ideas was a mural because they thought that the way people think about black women could actually change how they give black women an opportunity,” Patton said. “If I see her differently when she does apply for the job, or if she is working at a job and wants to have equal pay, or if she is asking for an opportunity to lead in a position, if they can see past her color, and see past her gender, then maybe that could break down a major barrier.”

Richmond muralist Hamilton Glass saw this meeting when it was broadcast on Facebook Live, and was inspired to reach out to the girls to forward the idea.

“In that speech, they were talking about a whole list of things that they would like to see for themselves in the future,” Glass said. “One percent of that speech said something about seeing things in their image that speaks to them. That was something I just felt like I could help with.”

Glass started working with the girls on the mural soon after.

“We met with the girls for 12 weeks, and the girls got into it, they loved the idea, and they designed their own mural,” Glass said. “I was explaining to the girls that this is something that is not meant to be just a pretty picture, but this is something that is meant to put your words, your thoughts, your image, your voice on the side of the building to represent you.”

Girls For A Change members, Glass, and 60 volunteers from Virginia Credit Union gathered together to paint a large portion of the mural on Sat., Oct. 14.

Virginia Credit Union provided funding for the mural. The bank is also providing the Girls For A Change members with financial education, as well as mentoring girls who need assistance with their financing.

HandsOn Greater Richmond helped facilitate by closing off streets and procuring supplies. They were also tasked with coordinating communication between the various groups involved, in addition to managing the recruitment of the volunteers, according to Kathryn Lienard, corporate program assistant for HandsOn Greater Richmond.

While work on the mural was not completed on Saturday, Glass and VCU art student Austin Miles are set to complete the mural, located at 24 E. Broad St. by Tuesday, Oct. 24.

The girls hope that the mural will help change the way people think about black girls, Patton said.

“I’m not just preparing black girls for the world, I’m preparing the world for black girls,” Patton said. “I’m not only empowering them, I’m empowering you, too, to be with them, to get to know them, to understand them, and to collaborate with them.”

Art Sponsored by Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art

First Lady Pam Northam Introduces Progressive Platform Over Post-Inaugural Brunch

Empower Through Art: Girls For A Change & Hamilton Glass Collab on Jackson Ward Mural