Hi, I’m Courtney Anika Harris, M.A
I created Anika Pathways because it is the exact support I need as a grassroots, community organizer. I have spent my career developing systems & tools to support myself and other community leaders succeed. I do so by leaning into my ancestral knowing that we have everything we already need.
From an early age, I have been committed to being a part of community work, advocating, and organizing, even when it meant being the mom friend. I have always been interested in people, how and why we work the way we do, learning from one another, as well as exploring my role in this human experience.
As such, I have dedicated my career to various nonprofits, churches, and higher education institutions. Recognizing that part of our collective healing and liberation requires systemic change as well as relational & personal change, I have learned to listen to the stories of ancestors, elders, peers, and students, which has been a catalyst for my own healing. While I continue to work on decolonizing my own programming, part of my trajectory and the tools that I utilize in my work come from receiving an Associate of Arts degree in Communication Studies, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Youth Ministry, as well as a Master of Arts degree in Organizational Leadership.
My Inspiration
I am the first child born to Nikki Lynn and Reuben Earl Sr. of San Jose, California. I can be quoted as saying that the Bay Area raised me but Philly made me. Since then, I have found myself becoming in Denver, CO and most recently rooting in Charlotte, NC. I am inspired by my community in the different places I have lived that have and continue to support, challenge, and love me through my many transformations. I am inspired by my grandmothers, Nancy May & Versie Lee, who were both caretakers, passionate, loud, joyful, independent, justice-centered, funny, respected, and who committed their lives to the service of others.
I am inspired by Black Queer elders that have led in resistance, authenticity, and deep devotion to self and communal liberation. I am inspired by those that are forever learners, that portray the wisdom of those that listen before they speak and continue to seek knowledge from those of various backgrounds and experiences, and those that are willing to adapt and transform. I am inspired by the trees and their unwavering roots, constant change, and magnificent beauty.
I am inspired by the people I have the opportunity to dream and play with daily; my peers, my best friends, and my chosen family near and far who are striving to be more of themselves every day, to heal their lineages, and to make a difference in this world by their mere existence in it. And lastly, I am inspired by Meg thee Stallion.