‘Miss Virginia’ on Netflix: Uzo Aduba Stars in the True Story of Education Advocate Virginia Walden Ford

If you’re looking for something new to watch now that you’ve finished binging Narcos: Mexico, you should know there is a new movie on Netflix called Miss Virginia starring Emmy-winning actress Uzo Aduba.

Miss Virginia is not to be confused with Miss Americana, the new Netflix Taylor Swift documentary, or Mrs. America, the upcoming FX and Hulu series starring Aduba as Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman elected to Congress. No, Miss Virginia is a much smaller, independent project from Vertical Entertainment, starring Aduba as a single mother who leads a movement to upend the education system that keeps her son and other working-class African American kids like him from advancing.

Though reviews of the film were mixed when it came out in October in select theaters and on-demand, most everyone agreed that Aduba was excellent. No surprises there—Aduba more than proven herself as the fan-favorite Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren on Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black, and her fans have been excited to follow her career now that show has wrapped.

The limited theatrical/VOD release meant the film flew under the radar, but now that Miss Virginia is on Netflix—and will soon air on the BET network on Wednesday, February 19 at 10 p.m. ET.—folks want to know: What is this Miss Virginia movie about?

What is Miss Virginia about?

Directed by R.J. Daniel Hanna, and written by Erin O’Connor, Miss Virginia is about a single mother, Virginia Walden Ford, who is struggling to raise her 15-year-old son, James, in a low-income Washington, D.C. neighborhood. When it becomes clear that James’s public school is not going to support him, Virginia enrolls him in a private school and takes a job as a janitor in her congresswoman’s office to pay for it.

The congresswoman encourages Virginia to come to a town hall meeting to ask about education issues, but when Virginia uses the opportunity to pitch a scholarship program, she’s fired. She devotes her life to this new cause: A federally-funded scholarship program for underprivileged students to attend private schools. She launches a grassroots campaign, collects signatures for a petition, and becomes a local celebrity.

Is Miss Virginia based on a true story?

Yes. Virginia Walden Ford is a real-life education activist and a glance at her Twitter account suggests she supports the Miss Virginia film 100 percent.

According to her website, Ford founded the organization D.C. Parents for School Choice in 1998, and that organization was instrumental in the passage of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, which provides scholarships for private school tuition to low-income kids in the D.C. area. It was the first federally-funded school voucher program.

Who is in the Miss Virginia cast?

Beyond Aduba, the Miss Virginia cast includes Niles Fitch (This Is Us) as Virginia’s son James, Matthew Modine as the fictitious congressman Cliff Williams, Aunjanue Ellis as congresswoman Lorraine Townsend (The Help, When They See Us), and Vanessa Williams as a talk show host.

Is there a Miss Virginia trailer?

There is, and you can watch it right here.

Enjoy!

Watch Miss Virginia on Netflix