Most 20-Something young mothers, seeking information and support for their non-verbal autistic son, wouldn’t take their concerns to social media. If mothers ever did so, they would likely be upset and posting simply about their frustration and desperation.
But most young mothers aren’t Simone Gordon.
When Simone struggled to find what she needed to help her son through traditional government and private agencies placed her in a continuous loop of unreturned calls, she went on social media for help. Her plea did not go unheard.
“Four different women responded to me from a Facebook group,” says Simone. Among these women was one who called a number that originally went unanswered for Simone. The next week, her son began therapy. Her fiery grandmother pushed her to not give up, which sparked a purpose and a passion in Simone as she found her voice. Simone turned her audacity into authority and began to build on her capacity to outreach. She began to build community partnerships with women who shared her frustration but did not have her voice.
Simone Gordon went to work, serving underserved, marginalized and underemployed women and their children and helping them get housing and helping them to go back to school and rebuild their lives. One woman, a woman by the name of Theresa, followed Simone’s lead and went live to plead for $1,000 for four hours so she would not be evicted. People tagged Simone on the post and she went into action, stopping the eviction and being dubbed “The Black Fairy Godmother” by the woman she helped. “That’s why during COVID-19, over $250,000 went directly to families which helped with rent, food and resources,” says Simone. “March 2020 changed my life forever. We’ve only got 12 volunteers but we did what we needed to do.”