With over 5 million children in the U.S. with an incarcerated parent, Antoine Patton came up with a vital tech business while going to college behind bars. His daughter, Jay Jay was just three-years-old when he went to jail six hours away for gun possession. Jay Jay’s mom became a single parent raising two children on her own and couldn’t afford to take her kids to visit their dad. The letters and photos Antoine relied on getting from his family to keep communication and a bond alive were costly to print and send and there was always a delay.
Antoine enrolled in the Bard Prison Initiative and was able to get a liberal arts college education, an opportunity he didn’t have growing up in Buffalo, New York. He learned how to code on his own before being released in 2014. With the help of his cousin, he launched the Photopatch Foundation, a non-profit, so inmates could stay in touch with their children without putting any additional financial burden on them, sending close to a million photos.
Wanting to spend as much time with Antoine as possible now that he was in her life, Jay Jay learned how to code from her dad. She launched a Photopatch mobile app, making it easier and more accessible for kids like her to send letters and photos to their parents. At just fifteen-years-old, Jay Jay was just named one of Teen Vogue’s 21 Under 21 this year for changing the world by teaching hundreds of kids the fundamentals of coding, a business she continues to run and fundraise with her dad.
Jay Jay and Antoine Patton understand the importance of keeping the family connected and stopping people from being incarcerated again by developing tight family bonds that turn into safety nets through communication. Together they continue to help others better their lives by not allowing a financial deterrent to get in the way of learning. Their coding lessons are affordable and accessible to all communities, especially people of color who may lack exposure. You are going to absolutely love this most dynamic father/daughter duo who will make you feel so incredibly inspired, hopeful, and proud and remember the importance of second chances.
SHOW NOTE LINKS:
Jay Jay in Teen Vogue with photo by Vikki Law
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