Simone Gordon Aka The Black Fairy Godmother Uses The Magic of The Internet to Help Those In Need

Simone Gordon aka The Black Fairy Godmother, has made major headlines for her use of social media to provide emergency services for people in need.

Today, Simone is followed by major celebrity contributors, and she’s been featured in People, Parade, The Kelly Clarkson Show and Good Morning America to name a few. Simone and I spoke recently, and the Black Fairy Godmother explained the inspiration and motivation behind her incredible philanthropy.

Learn more. Follow Simone aka 'The Black Ferry Godmother' on Instagram and Facebook.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02: 0:00

Hey there, it's Cory Andrew of the Core Issues Podcast. As a journalist, pop culture commentator, and recording artist, creative experiences and having strong opinions are a big part of my life. On the Core Issues with Cory Andrew Podcast, I'll be sharing those opinions, and you may not always agree, but I welcome the discussion. on a range of topics, from social matters and politics to entertainment, LGBTQ plus issues, conversations with celebrity guests, and of course, talking to everyday people doing extraordinary things. Simone Gordon, aka the Black Fairy Godmother, has made major headlines for her use of social media to provide emergency services for people in need. Today, Simone is followed by major celebrity contributors, and she's been featured in People Magazine, Parade, The Kelly Clarkson Show, and Good Morning America. Simone and I spoke recently and the Black Fairy Godmother explained the inspiration and motivation behind her movement. Simone, aka Fairy Godmother Gordon, is joining me here on the Core Issues podcast. And I'm so happy to have you here speaking with me because you are doing some great, great stuff. So first of all, thank you very much.

SPEAKER_00: 1:10

Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_02: 1:12

Sure, sure. So the name Fairy Godmother, well, Black Fairy Godmother, I should actually specify. I think I may have left the black part out, but the Black Fairy Godmother is the more important ingredient to this. You got that moniker because of a network of emergency help you created using social media. So tell me a little bit about the platform and how that nickname, if you will, came into play.

SPEAKER_00: 1:34

Okay, great. And I really want to just thank you, Corey, for everything that you have also done for my foundation and just being there supporting us and supporting me through this whole transition. The Black Fairy Godmother is basically a platform to address the marginalized community, including the LGBTQ community. Everyone knows that domestic violence, LGBTQ, single Black mothers, these issues are on the rise and we're not getting these help that we need by big names and big nonprofits. So I'm putting it out there. I'm giving the testimonial and showing white America, this is what it is. When you're putting your big dollars into big corporations, it's going into their big salaries. It's not really going into the people. When people call that you can go to a food pantry, at times when you go to a food pantry, there's not a lot of fresh food. There's mostly canned food and leftover food from supermarkets who have an expiration date. as getting ready to have food that's going to expire. Or when you tell somebody that they need to go to a hotel, like a LGBT teenager who's been kicked out because of their sexuality, you just can't tell them to go to a shelter because nine times out of 10, these shelters are full. So I'm basically using my platform to let people know these are the ways that you can get involved directly and you can get your hands and your feet dirty. I'm putting people to work and it's been working.

SPEAKER_02: 3:01

Yes, I know that even last Christmas, it might've been And when you and I spoke and you were going to deliver food to one of the LGBTQ shelters, I believe, and I was so impressed with that because that's not even something that I think is on the mainstream radar when it comes to philanthropy and giving that particular demographic. And you saw a need there to assist that community and you went and delivered food to them.

SPEAKER_00: 3:24

Yes, I did. And they were crying because they like, you know, people were giving them different restaurants, giving them leftover things. It's not the same. You know, just because a person is having a hard time don't mean that they're not worthy. So we had an actual chef that chefed up almost twelve hundred dollars worth of food. And I said, hey, you're going to cook shrimp. You're going to cook this. You're going to make a hearty salad and we're going to get some wine and we're going to deliver directly to them. Oh, wow. It was a beautiful thing.

SPEAKER_02: 3:52

Yeah, you're right. There is something different between, there's a difference between giving someone leftovers and then preparing for them specifically. That's the meal with love, right? That we're used to with family that they were missing during that time. Wow, that's amazing. And so I know you've used Instagram as one of your initial tools when you began sort of reaching out to the public to get assistance. So how do you use Instagram Instagram and social media in general to get your message across to help others.

SPEAKER_00: 4:20

Every morning, I get a lot of messages from people all across the country who need food, who need housing, who need beds for their children. The list goes on. So what we do is we vet the request to make sure that they are actually telling the truth and they're actually real people. So what I go is in the morning, I give a quote and I give a catchy quote to give a person an eye of what's going on in the world, especially with the pandemic. And after that, I will explain to someone that someone is in need. Here's the receipts. here's the testimonial. Like a mother who was asking for food, she said directly, I don't want money from you guys. Just send me food. As soon as I put that ask out there, We raised about$1,200 in one hour. So at$1,200, we were able to send her$300 worth of food and the rest went towards her rent payment. After that, I said, well, what else can we do? She said, I need a job. Do you have a car? I guess I have a car. Okay. Target needs people with their third party car shipped. They need people to deliver groceries and things of that nature. We went ahead and got her a job that's 15 bucks an hour.

SPEAKER_02: 5:28

Wow.

SPEAKER_00: 5:28

She was grateful. She was a teacher that was unemployed. So we don't just hand out money or give people what they ask for. We also help stabilize them with some of the resources that are out there. There's a lot of celebrities that follow me. There's a lot of real estate agents. There's so many people that follow me, including politicians. They have the resources. So I go to them and I go, hey, this person needs a job. This kid needs to go to school. This kid needs a laptop that's in school, but the district can't afford it. And I go straight to them. And that's how I work it.

SPEAKER_02: 5:58

That is amazing. Meanwhile, you know, not to make fun of the world, but meanwhile, you know, there's someone like posting another photograph of like their butt on Instagram or, you know, something really frivolous. Right. Yeah. And it's like amazing. I'm so happy that, you know, there is someone using social media for the good of mankind, because the reality is social media is a really amazing tool that we have at our disposal. And you kind of can get the fruits of it. based on what you are sowing, if you will, the seeds you sow. And so for you to have turned that into a big network is pretty incredible. And I love also that you mentioned, you're not just giving out handouts for the sake of giving things out. Very often when I'm on the street, I know, I draw a distinction between people who are homeless and they ask me for money versus food. I'm reluctant to give money to people who I perceivably are homeless because I don't know if I'm fueling their addiction. And then there's a conflict for me of like, I don't know. But when a person distinctly says, brother, I haven't eaten, I will either go buy food because I say, still, if I give you money, I don't know if it's a con or not. Or I give them food that I haven't finished. Or if we're in a restaurant, I sort of like kind of make sure I see them, you know, are you going to get food with this? Right. You know, I make sure I try to make sure. But there is a distinction between that. Right.

SPEAKER_01: 7:13

Correct.

SPEAKER_02: 7:14

Yeah. Fueling someone's addiction with money is tricky. Now, I know you've also caught the attention recently. Your publicist, Siobhan, sent out this amazing post where you were on the Kelly Clarkson show recently. So tell me about that. And how did Kelly Clarkson find out about you? To

SPEAKER_00: 7:29

be honest, it was word of mouth. There are a lot of celebrities who are now giving on the low, but they've been following me like the Sharon Osbourne, the Justin Timberlakes, the Christian Bale. So they... In India, I reached a lot of people during Thanksgiving on my platform, which was a beautiful thing. Oh,

SPEAKER_02: 7:49

wow.

SPEAKER_00: 7:49

So a lot of people have been giving and they are top notch celebrities. And someone shared a post about me giving marginalized families Christmas, them creating wish lists. And she's like, who is this girl? Who is this girl? So her producer went ahead and asked, can they have a wish list? And it was pretty tricky because the wish list went in like, 15 minutes. And I'm like, wait, that was some heavy expenses. I had to pay for a bed, an Xbox. I had to really think.

SPEAKER_02: 8:25

But you were doing it, though. You were thinking, OK, how do I do it? You didn't

SPEAKER_00: 8:28

say no. And she emailed my publicist, Elon Forbes, and said, I am the executive producer of The Kelly Clarkson Show. And she wanted to know, is miss gordon the real thing what the whole christmas and that's how they got me on the show kelly

SPEAKER_01: 8:43

then

SPEAKER_00: 8:44

then oprah network got involved so it was just 325 families not kids but families wrote out a wish list of the things that they need and want and they got it from beds to underclothes um there was a kid who needed a wheelchair, electric wheelchair, the medical supply company wouldn't pay for it. And some woman in Canada, you know, what, the electric wheelchair and the bed and met with the family online. So it was just a big thing and it was a beautiful thing.

SPEAKER_02: 9:15

I'm literally like trying to hold back tears right now. As you tell me that, my eyes are welling up with tears because a couple of things are happening to me as I hear that. One, I'm so happy that Kelly Clarkson, for example, and Oprah are exactly who we think they are, brand wise. Because they preach humility and humanity on their shows. I don't want to say preach, but they promote those things. And so to find out that they actually sought out ways in which to help you and your plight with this whole movement, it's pretty remarkable. And thank goodness for them. And you said Christian Bale?

SPEAKER_01: 9:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02: 9:53

I mean, who would have? I mean, Christian Bale, that's amazing. You do have some A-list people, girl. You definitely got the A-listers. And looking out for you. And I know you've also been covered by People, too, and Parade Magazine. So that's some really positive press out there.

SPEAKER_00: 10:06

And Instinct Magazine as well. Yes,

SPEAKER_02: 10:08

and Instinct Magazine. I can't forget my coverage of Instinct. And you gave me that wonderful Purple Diamond Award as well for my work with the LGBTQ. So that was really wonderful. And I appreciate that so much from you. Now, you do have also the new site that you're creating. You have ways in which people can get involved that you will be sharing with the public. And I see that there are some affiliations for Domestic Abuse Fund or the Angel Food Fund. Now, are these the actual, for example, the Angel Food Organization in Los Angeles, or this is a different?

SPEAKER_00: 10:38

The Angel Food Fund is the Black Fairy Angel Food Fund. So how it works is there are plenty of mothers who will email me and say they need food. So with the Angel Food Fund, what you do is you put your name Your legal address, and we always ask proof of ID, your telephone number, and a list of foods that you're requesting, and a list of foods that you cannot have due to dietary restrictions or allergies, because you know people have

SPEAKER_01: 11:03

illnesses.

SPEAKER_00: 11:04

Within 48 hours, we will vet that request to make sure you live with that address, because I have a paralegal on site, and she will check. And what we do is we deliver the groceries from Instacart or Walmart, and we'll leave it on a porch and ring the doorbell and call you down to come get your groceries. We take the pictures all the time and hear me scream, wait a minute, you are the real thing. You know, I just want to

SPEAKER_01: 11:27

see my

SPEAKER_00: 11:27

child open it. So that's the Angel Food Assistance Fund. What we do is within 48 hours, we make sure a family gets food.

SPEAKER_02: 11:36

Okay. And so your other funds would work the same way, like the Domestic Abuse Fund. I think that was another one as well.

SPEAKER_00: 11:41

The domestic... Yes, the Domestic Violence Fund is very, that's one of my top-notch funds that has to continue to stay funded. We always vet to make sure that there is actual domestic violence that's happening. We always make sure we get the ID. And we also have mutual agreements with different hotels across America. One of them is the Extended Stay. And we have a partnership with them and they give us a big discount and we pay to put the person into a hotel. And we also have certain Airbnbs across the US that we also help. Like if a woman said, I can't be in the same state, we will contact a certain Airbnb and make sure that she's out of state or he or she, because men are also are victims of domestic violence. So I tell people don't get it twisted. It's not just all about the women. It's also men too.

SPEAKER_02: 12:32

Now, is that men in heterosexual relationships and gay relationships or either one? They're men who are the victims of abuse.

SPEAKER_00: 12:40

Correct. We're getting both because of the pandemic. It's on the rise.

SPEAKER_02: 12:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 12:44

I don't discriminate.

SPEAKER_02: 12:45

Yeah. Yeah. There's more people who need help more than ever. And then also there's a really bizarre phenomenon that happened during the pandemic when so many people were locked in together, couples who never had that sort of strain on their relationship, there was a rise in domestic violence I was reading that was unbelievable. It was like, I think 30% jump or something like that. That was really unbelievable. So make sure you like who you with, y'all. Y'all got to love who you

SPEAKER_00: 13:10

with. Please do. We had to move so many people. It was to the point that we were getting exhausted and, you know, different famous authors and famous yoga instructors and even celebrities were sharing my fund to let people know, hey, This young lady is overwhelmed because there's not a lot of shelters. So we were just like it was so much that we had to have, you know, Yvonne, the publicist or my assistant to call different hotels and say, hey, can you give us discounts? We have people that are really, really struggling and they did it and it worked. And now we're across the board. And also one hundred and forty thousand single mothers lost their job because of the pandemic. 140,000 across the US. So of course, hunger is going to rise. Of course, rental assistance is going to rise and the list goes on. So that's my platform.

SPEAKER_02: 14:00

And you continue to just help everyone. I think that's what's so amazing about it is that you really, you haven't really, what's the word I'm looking for? You haven't, Like there's no hierarchy really, I guess. You have domestic abuse, which you said is like one of your most, I guess, tumultuous categories, if you will. But for the most part, your platform is people who need help. That's what's so fascinating. You don't really judge what the help is. It's just across the board, it's like there's a lifeline. That's how when I was speaking about your platform, I said, she's a lifeline to people. Because in that moment, you have no one there really is no one coming to help you if you have no one to help you. And so the fact that you're doing it for strangers is a really big thing. Now, do you have a projection of like, if you had this dream situation where the Black Fairy Godmother platform would be in 10 years, or like, is there an aspiration point of what you'd like to see your organization become? Have you thought about that?

SPEAKER_00: 15:00

I'm going to be honest. I want my organization to become something bigger than what the Red Cross is and try to get at least one shelter or residential home in certain marginalized states that are affected, including in the South. Because as we know, the Red Cross only house people for three days if they're in a fire or if they are domestic violence victims or people who are homeless. They only pay three days of hotel stay. But I want to change that. I want to at least get the person at least 90 days. Like we give them 90 days to straighten up and get themselves together. So

SPEAKER_02: 15:38

90 days you think is a realistic timeframe because I don't know that whole world. So you think that's a good enough time for someone to kind of get it together a little bit and focus and then go on to whatever their next step is to continue on their path more successfully?

SPEAKER_00: 15:52

The thing is yes and no. And I'm going to tell you why, because within those 90 days, I mentor, I also have therapists that make sure that the mother or father is in the right state of mind or person is in the right state of mind. We did have a few people who needed at least four to six months, but due to their situation. But yes, within no timeframe, that will help us raise for you to get an apartment, help you get a job, help you get a resume. And some mothers go, well, I can't get a job because I need education. Some don't even have a GED. So then I get involved and make sure that they get tools that they need so that they can proceed because you can't stay in emergency mode and always need, need, need. Sure. This is the real world and it's tough.

SPEAKER_02: 16:38

So, and it's, it's about helping people though, getting help. But then there is the notion that giving them that help is so that they can then return to self sufficiency,

SPEAKER_00: 16:47

not just a

SPEAKER_02: 16:47

handout. Right.

SPEAKER_00: 16:49

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02: 16:50

So Simone, the biggest thing I want to just conclude with, which I think is so amazing really about you is that, you know, you've done this while being a mom. and you have a special needs child, and you do this while being a nursing student too, and being a mother, and you're still doing all the work for your organization. I mean, first of all, you look amazing. I don't know when you sleep, but you clearly must be because you look nice and rested and gorgeous, but I don't know when you do it. But I just, I mean, how do you balance all that? I mean, because it's really impressive that you can help so many people and then be a student and be a mom, and then also have a child with very specific needs. How do you do it?

SPEAKER_00: 17:33

My parents help me sometimes, but sometimes I do say, Hey, I need to stop. I need downtime. I need to think because it is overwhelming. Like after doing so much in 2020, I dedicated January 1st through February 1st of just saying no. I just need to settle down because I also, during the midst of doing that big Thanksgiving drive of feeding people and giving people$200 worth of groceries and Christmas, I caught COVID-19 from not taking care of myself.

SPEAKER_02: 18:06

That

SPEAKER_00: 18:07

right there scared me.

SPEAKER_02: 18:08

Yeah, yeah, I can imagine because that's the thing often when there's people who are such giving caretakers and my mother is one of those people and I'm like, well, make sure, you know, if you get sick, you can't help anybody else. So make sure you take care of you. And she often forgets that. And then I got to come in and be like, are you taken care of? Are you being well?

SPEAKER_00: 18:27

You have to. Once

SPEAKER_02: 18:28

you get sick, you can't help anybody else, right?

SPEAKER_00: 18:30

COVID-19 was the worst 15 days of my life. I was isolated from my family, isolated from my son. Yeah. Special needs. And he didn't understand. So that right there changed my life. Yes. Everybody loves Black Fairy. I'm saving lives.

UNKNOWN: 18:47

I'm

SPEAKER_00: 18:48

That was God telling me, hey, you need to slow down. You need to get back in your car and sit.

SPEAKER_01: 18:53

And

SPEAKER_00: 18:54

I sat and sat and I said, you know what? I need to take a break. But I don't sleep. I wake up 4 a.m. to take care of my son. I clean him up, get him ready. And then I have school. I start school Tuesday. So while he's doing virtual learning, I'm doing virtual learning. So we have like three laptops all over the place. He's in school. I have a professor. I'm taking notes and trying to help him with his therapy. So It's a lot. And I think my team, I have 12 volunteers who also helped me with the foundation.

UNKNOWN: 19:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02: 19:23

Well, that's wonderful. I mean, that's so inspirational. That's what I get from it. You know, I'm sitting here complaining about when I have one task and you're sitting up here juggling a thousand of them like, yeah, I'm good. So, you know, I know you do say something really important that I want to make sure people understand too. And this is tied to something else that's interesting. I do a podcast. I co-host a podcast every Friday with a celebrity journalist named Rob Shooter. And it's an iHeartRadio podcast called The Naughty But Nice Show. And at the very end of his show, he always tells these little anecdotes at the end about self-care, self-awareness. And one of the ones we did recently, he actually said one of the biggest things he's had to learn how to do is to say no to people when he's been asked if he's overextended, if he doesn't have enough time for him and trying to please everyone. And at the end, if you do that, you don't allow enough time for yourself and things like that, getting sick, coming up short on your own end. That's exactly what can happen if you don't take that time to say no. And I can't right now. I need this time for Simone. I need this time for Corey. And that's a lesson that people need to really learn for their, you mentioned the mental wellness. That's a mental wellness issue that people need to take into consideration, right?

SPEAKER_01: 20:35

Yes,

SPEAKER_02: 20:36

please do. Yes, ma'am. Wow. Well, thank you so much, Simone. I'm excited to share your story. I mean, it's been shared enough, but I'm going to continue to share it with, and actually not even enough. It's been shared a lot and it needs to be continued to be shared. And I'm going to do my part to do that. And I'm again, really honored that you would speak to me about it today, because in your own words, it's very different when you read about it than, you know, hearing your passion coming through in your own voice. So thank you again. I appreciate you joining me today for this conversation.

SPEAKER_00: 21:05

Absolutely. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_02: 21:07

Thank you for listening to Core Issues with me, Corey Andrew. For future episodes, please subscribe to this podcast on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. You can follow me at Corey Andrew and follow the Core Issues Facebook page at Core Issues Media.