PETERSBURG, Va. — A Petersburg native is using social media to change what she sees as a misleading image of her hometown.
Antoinette Godette, 37, created an online alter ego known as "The Real AG" to share a simple message through her segment called "Positive Petersburg."
"I came from very humble beginnings," Godette said.
Godette grew up in the Petersburg public housing community of Pin Oaks.
"As I got a little older, it got really bad out here at one point," Godette said. "Thank God for the experience, because it molded me into who I am."
Godette designed her online presence on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to right a wrong she sees and hears online.
"Some people may have a certain narrative about Petersburg, so me being a native of Petersburg, I always wanted to be someone who could counter the narrative," Godette said.
To accomplish her goal, Godette heads out into the community she loves.
"It’s a segment where I go out in to the community to different entrepreneurs, restaurants, city council events, just showing positive places, people and things out of the City of Petersburg," Godette said.
The beginning of her "Positive Petersburg" segments was met with some apprehension.
"At first I just kind of questioned who she was," said Shelly Karousos of Pete’s Grill.
"My first thought was, who is she, where did she come from?" said Pastor Belinda Baugh of New Devine Worship Center.
Word soon spread about her videos highlighting the positives in Petersburg, and her popularity is growing.
"We loved the segment," said a representative for Resist Book Store. "We had actually seen a couple of your videos before you got here ... You coming in and doing a segment was super amazing, just another way for people to see that Petersburg is growing."
"What a nice thing to do. You know, she puts it out there and people see it that’s coming through Petersburg, 85, 95, stop by," Karousos said.
"It’s a positive ... it makes me smile on the inside to see someone identifying the good in Petersburg," Baugh said.
At Lighthouse Furniture and Appliances, a business operating since 1965, Dale Gattis shared his reaction to being featured.
"Well, that maybe I’m doing something right," Gattis said.
Godette spends her days crisscrossing the city to find positive stories.
"I want to have diversity in my stories because ... positivity ... it’s not specific to a race," Godette said. "We all can get along and be positive and love each other and have a good time, that’s what it’s all about."
Godette recently wrapped up her 37th segment at Bravo Burrito.
"I’m positively happy about what I am doing," Godette said. "I really enjoy it,"
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