We were lucky to catch up with Tanika Harper recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Tanika, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about serving the underserved.

Shora Foundation, founded in 2008, who’s mission is to create a safe place for those in under-resourced communities by creating opportunities and transforms communities, serves both youth and adults.

The organization’s Academic Center serves youth through out-of-school time focusing on academic achievement, mental health, and food security. We serve elementary and middle school scholars, year round.

The Roots Collective provide economic development resources to marginalized entrepreneurs. We offer a coworking space in one of the most under-resourced communities in the city, provide networking opportunities, and access to capital. The primary initiative in The Roots Collective is economic equity.

In Knoxville, TN, Black residents account for 17% of the population but bear a disproportionate burden, constituting 42% of the poverty rate. Within the city’s school system, Black youth face disproportionate challenges. At Shora, we’re actively bridging this gap, striving to contribute to equitable outcomes for all members of our community.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Tanika Harper is a Knoxville native and graduated from Austin East High School. She has a B.A. in English, a B.A. in Sociology, both obtained from the University of Tennessee, an M.S. in Criminal Justice, obtained from The University of Cincinnati and a M.S. in Ethics and Leadership obtained from Johnson University.

Ms. Harper has ownership in four small businesses, starting the first in 2008, Shora Foundation. Shora Foundation has two programs, Academic Center and The Roots Collective. The Academic Center serves youth in 1st – 8th grades year round and focuses on academic achievement and mental health. Shora partners with The Behavior and Learning Lab at the University of Tennessee’s Psychology Department to offer group and individual therapy to students and their families.

The Roots Collective programs serves over 200 Black owned businesses through technical assistance, networking opportunities, and mentorship opportunities to help businesses become sustainable. She has established The Roots Collective Growth and Development Center that is an entrepreneur center in East Knoxville, which operates a a entrepreneur co-working and community space.

In 2011, Ms. Harper and two of her sisters, founded Elite Facility Maintenance which provided commercial cleaning and small scale maintenance services. Some of their clients have included but not limited to City of Knoxville, State of Tennessee, local churches, and private offices.

In 2014, she founded Harper’s Naturals, LLC, a natural skincare company out of a need to have healthier skin due to an auto-immune disease. You can find some of her products in Mast General Store in downtown Knoxville.

Lastly, in 2020, Ms. Harper helped Co-Found The Women Foundation, who provides interest free micro loans to Black owned businesses. The Women Foundation fights for economic equity in hopes of facilitating the creation of wealth among Black Knoxvillians.

Ms. Harper was the 2021 KAWE Lucy Gibson Award recipient. She is also a graduate of the 2021 Class of Leadership TN NEXT and is an alumni of Leadership Knoxville..

Ms. Harper is a Business Developer, Mentor, an Access to Capital Strategist to those serving marginalized communities.
Her most recent endeavors includes collectively working an international entrepreneurial development project for Nigerian based enterprises.

She is driven by the overwhelming desire to help those who look like her, those in the margins. Her daughter will one day be an adult and it’s important for Ms. Harper to pave the way for her, to hopefully help open doors for the next generation. Her motto is, if she has arrived at a certain place and does nothing to help others get there, then what was it all for? The goal is to create more tables for marginalized people to sit at.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Shora Foundation stands as a Black-led grassroots organization, a sector often facing significant under-funding according to statistical trends. Although our inception dates back to 2008, it wasn’t until 2018 that we could provide full-time, year-round programming. During those early years, resources were scarce, with minimal funds in our bank account and the CEO going unpaid. Yet, with a determination to make a difference, we embarked on launching a comprehensive youth program.

Navigating these challenges, I held fast to the belief that closed mouths don’t get fed. We shared our vision with the community, and to our gratitude, support poured in. A generous organization provided us with a 15-passenger van, while a local church offered their space for our after-school and summer initiatives. Additionally, we diligently pursued grant funding to bolster our efforts.

Times were undoubtedly tough, relying heavily on volunteers due to the lack of funds for paid staff. Nonetheless, the community rallied around us in a remarkable display of solidarity. Despite the absence of ample resources for capacity building, we remained steadfast in meeting the community’s needs through whatever means necessary. It’s this resilience that has propelled Shora to become what it is today,

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Leadership Pain by Samuel Chand The One Thing by Gary Keller
Believe In You Money by Jessica Norwood

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shorafoundation.org
• Instagram: @shorafoundation
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanikaharper/

Image Credits
Javon Renee Portraits Jalynn Baker Photography