It would be impossible to root against Rhiannah Gordon, a California single mother whose moment of vindication gave many around the world a reason to smile and an excuse to cry.
Gordon’s video, which showed her jubilant response to passing the bar exam on her first try, has registered nearly a quarter billion views since she posted it on Nov. 9.
Clips of people overwhelmed by good news are nothing new on TikTok, but Gordon’s reaction video, showing her bear hugging her 10-year-old daughter and 12-year son as they all weep with joy, captures the sacrifice shared by the family and the joy felt when overcoming tremendous odds.
“I posted videos over the years of times when the kids attended classes with me, or me studying at their sporting events or the trudge of studying for the bar,” Gordon told “Good Morning America. “So it was natural to share the results of years of the family’s investment into law school and the bar.”
Gordon has already secured a job at a Sacramento law firm. Passing the bar marks the official end of a journey that began more than nine years ago, when she broke it off with her “first love.”
“Our relationship was toxic and highly abusive, mentally and physically,” she writes after a montage of photos showing her battered face and black eyes, filled the screen.
Gordon decided she wanted to be a lawyer, becoming the only single mother in her graduating class of 260 at the UC Davis School of Law this year. Gordon chronicled her hectic life on her TikTok account, @yougonloverhi. But none had the impact of her most recent video, simply titled “I Passed!!!
Her onscreen video caption read, “POV: you’re a single mom & you pass the CA Bar Exam on the first try.” Adding, “she was crying for 30 mins before… stressin me out”
@yougonloverhi I PASSED!!!! #barexam #barexam2024 #attorney #blackattorney #singlemom #singlemomlife #singlemomsoftiktok #lawyer #blacklawyer #blacklawyers #blacklawyersoftiktok #joy #blackgirlmagic #blackmoms #blackmomsoftiktok #lawyerbae #shedidit #ididit #tearsofjoy #happytears #cabar #cabarexam #california ♬ original sound – Ya BabyDaddy Favorite Attorney
As of earlier this year, only 55 percent students passed the exam on the first try from California ABA-accredited schools. Nationally, the pass rate is typically between 60–80%.
When broken down by race, Gordon was in good company with 58 percent of African-Americans who pass the exam on the first try.
Gordon’s viral video generated 200,000 comments with nearly 6 million likes.
“Loook here!!!!! You got the babies crying, strangers crying………we all just crying!!!!!!!CONGRATS!!!!!!” wrote one fan.
“Explain to me why I’m crying when I don’t even know what a CA Bar Exam is,” said another.
Many credited Gordon with providing them some much-needed inspiration.
“You’re killing the life game! Keep it up mama!” said another.
