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Sarah Davis

Sarah Davis, born July 22, 1959, was a Black American registered nurse in Pasadena, California. She and her husband, police officer Marcus Davis, raised their son, Andrew “Andy” Davis. Sarah used her nursing knowledge in long-term educational, communication, mobility, and medical advocacy for Andy.

Nursing Career

Sarah became a mother at eighteen, before completing her nursing education. She trained as a nurse in the late 1970s and early 1980s and worked as a registered nurse while raising Andy. Her clinical education gave her the vocabulary and procedural knowledge to challenge medical dismissal, identify dangerous changes in Andy’s condition, and coordinate care across specialties.

Sarah worked full-time before the 1995 homeschool transition. When she and Marcus withdrew Andy from Pasadena High School, she reduced her paid work to part-time and per-diem nursing so that she could teach and coordinate his care during the week.

Advocacy for Andy

Main article: Sarah Davis and Andy Davis

Andy was born on October 8, 1977, with cerebral palsy and extensive support needs. Sarah combined nursing knowledge with close knowledge of Andy’s communication and health when advocating with medical and educational systems.

By 1995, Andy’s placement at Pasadena High School had subjected him to low academic expectations and inadequate care. Sarah and Marcus removed him from the school that fall. Sarah reduced her paid nursing work and helped educate him through a cooperative with Ellen Matsuda, Greg Matsuda, and Cody Matsuda from 1995 to 1997. She taught English and literature, using accessible reading formats and academically demanding material rather than the picture-book curriculum Andy’s school had assigned him.

The cooperative provided Andy with accessible materials and academically appropriate work. In 1997, he passed the California High School Proficiency Examination, scoring in the eighty-fifth percentile overall and the ninety-second percentile in English. His scores were reviewed after testing staff treated the result as unexpected.

Sarah continued advocating for Andy’s medical care and access as he attended Pasadena City College and California State University, Northridge.

Writing and Public Advocacy

Sarah extended her family advocacy through writing and conference work for other Black disabled families. In 1998, she published ‘’When My Black Disabled Son “Surprised” Everyone’‘, an essay about the racism and ableism surrounding Andy’s CHSPE registration, the review of his high scores, and the treatment of his intelligence as an unexpected exception.

In 1999, she published ‘’Teaching My Son Taught Me He Was Never Broken’‘. The essay described Andy’s years in Room 118, his work in the homeschool cooperative, and Sarah’s realization that the school system—not her son’s mind—had been the barrier to his education. Her later advocacy continued to address educational segregation, presumed incompetence, and medical dismissal at the intersection of race and disability.

Family and Core Relationships

Andy Davis

Sarah was Andy’s mother and one of his primary advocates. She respected his communication, supported his education, and challenged medical and school personnel who treated his physical and speech disabilities as evidence of intellectual disability.

Ellen Matsuda

Ellen and Sarah worked together to establish the homeschool cooperative for Andy and Cody. Ellen also helped Sarah navigate disability-services systems.

Romantic and Significant Relationships

Marcus Davis

Main article: Sarah Davis and Marcus Davis

Marcus was Sarah’s husband and Andy’s father. He worked as a Pasadena police officer. Sarah supplied the family’s nursing expertise, and both parents participated in Andy’s education, care, and advocacy. Their marriage ended with Marcus’s death at age seventy-five in March 2033.

Memorable Quotes

“Process his registration.”

Sarah addressed the CHSPE registrar who questioned whether Andy should take the examination and suggested alternative programs.

“You meant you didn’t think a disabled Black kid could score in the 85th percentile. You reviewed his test because you couldn’t believe he was that smart.”

Sarah addressed a testing-center representative after Andy’s scores were flagged for review.

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