Annie Handy has been a constant presence at MHS as a substitute teacher for the last two decades, and many students have heard countless stories about her life. Though, Handy was still in the classroom before substitute teaching, working as a teacher at East Palo Alto for 12 years and later at Marshall Pomeroy Elementary School for 22 years, she said.
Prior to teaching in California, she taught at a school in Louisiana for three and a half years — in the same state where she was born and raised in a family of 13, Handy said. Segregation was still in effect when she was growing up, and she attended all-Black schools, which were the worst of the schools, she added.
“I come from an area in the South where life was tough for African American people,” Handy said. “That’s why I’m still working — to let the kids know how good they have it and to make good use of it.”
Although her parents had to work the worst of jobs, they were still able to provide for Handy and her siblings, she said.
“We were able to make it,” Handy said. “We always had a meal. We never went hungry, and we got to participate in school activities.”
After graduating from high school, Handy attended Southern University in Baton Rouge, a historically Black university, she said. She participated in the first Civil Rights Movement march in Louisiana organized by Martin Luther King Jr. to fight for integration, Handy said.
“For me, it was very scary, but I did it anyway,” Handy said. “We just marched for equal rights in the South, in Louisiana. And I still feel good about it. I still tell my stories in the classroom here.”
Following her college graduation, Handy started working in an all-Black public school and later moved to California for a better life, Handy said. She then got married and had two children, she said.
Handy’s daughter Tarsha Stewart said that Handy was dedicated to her grandchildren, sometimes even putting them before her own children.
“She talks about them to everyone, not just kids at the school,” Stewart said. “Whoever she interacts with, she talks about them. It’s like a badge of honor that they’re doing well.”
Handy’s example taught Stewart how to be a better mother, Stewart added.
“She’s an exceptional woman,” Stewart said. “My mom would go without sleep. She would make sure dinner was cooked every night. She consoled us. It was like she was the mom, the teacher, the social worker. (She) would help deal with any issues that we had. I have so many fond memories. I had a privileged childhood, I would say. I never went without. She just was exceptional.”
Stewart once threw a birthday party to honor her mother and would never forget the smile on Handy’s face, she said.
“Last year, I decided to throw her a birthday party, and my mom never had a birthday party ever in her life,” Stewart said. “So I threw her a 79th birthday. And people would ask, ‘Why 79? 79 is not significant.’ But after going through COVID and people losing loved ones, I’m like, ‘I need to celebrate my mom now. I’m not going to wait until these supposedly milestone birthdays.”
Handy used to bowl, loves going to church, and has been involved with organizations such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Black Alliance, Stewart said. However, teaching itself is also one of Handy’s hobbies, Stewart added.
“Substitute teaching keeps her active, keeps her young,” Stewart said. “It helps her be a better grandmother to my kids.”
Handy was also involved with MHS’s Black Student Union and served as a mentor figure, MHS alumnus Nyla Choates said. Choates always appreciated having support from staff members in the district, Choates added.
“She always supported us with the Black History Month showcase,” Choates said. “We would have our Black History programs every Saturday, where Chris Norwood would come and Ms. Handy would also come, where they would teach us some Black history that they weren’t teaching us in school.”
Handy also supported Choates’ more recent initiatives, such as her children’s book release, Choates said. She gifted a copy of her book to Handy because of how uplifting Handy always was, Choates added.
“Every single time I walked into the classroom, she would just always make sure to let me know that my hair was beautiful, and I don’t think she knew how much of an impact she was making,” Choates said. “She always made me feel like, ‘Okay, maybe I do look good,’ because sometimes you have that self-doubt when you look different than everyone else.”
While Handy may have come off as stern, the “tough love” she showed was necessary and came from a place of care, Choates said.
“She truly has the warmest heart,” Choates said. “She really does want the best for you.”