Jodie patterson grew up on new york's upper west side in a family of black activists. Today, jodie is mam to five kids, but we started our conversation by talking what life was like for her just before penelope,. who now goes by pennell, arrived on the scene. Jodie had two little kids already, a boy and a girl. On paper, at least, her life was filling up with all the things she had hoped for. And at the same time, it was a really confusing time, really confusing time for me. I didn't know enough, not nearly enough.