About

Dr. Anika T. Prather earned her B.A. from Howard University in elementary education.  She also has earned several graduate degrees in education from New York University and Howard University.  She has a Masters in liberal arts from St. John’s College (Annapolis) and a PhD in English, Theatre and Literacy Education from the University of Maryland (College Park).  Her research focus is on building literacy with African American students through engagement in the books of the Canon and self-published her book Living in the Constellation of the Canon: The Lived Experiences of African American Students Reading Great Books Literature recently. 

Anika is also the co-author for The Black Intellectual Tradition (with Dr. Angel Parham). She has served as a teacher, supervisor for student teachers, director of education and Head of School.  She taught in the classics department at Howard University as a full time lecturer and she also served as Director of High Quality Curriculum and Instruction at Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy (until February 2024) . Currently she is a sought after speaker on the topic of the relevancy of classical studies to the Black community.  In 2015, Anika founded The Living Water School.  The Living Water School is a unique Christian school for independent learners, based on the educational philosophies of Classical Education and the Sudbury Model.  In the spring of 2022, Anika and Damon opened The Living Water Center where activities for the Living Water School, book talks, and other events are hosted. The Living Water Center (located in Old Town Alexandria) also houses The Blacks in Classics Museum which is open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays for visitors to see original artwork featuring Blacks who have been inspired by classics and the works of the Canon.

She is married to Damon M. Prather who is a chemical engineer (BA-University of Michigan) and a computer engineer (MS-Johns Hopkins). He also has an MBA (Wisconsin-Madison) and somehow finds the time to also serve as the financial manager of the school. Damon also has a love for high quality education, after serving as a GED instructor in Michigan before meeting Anika.  From his experiences there, he realized the holes that many school leave in students.  Anika’s love for education was a source of connection for them. Damon and Anika created the educational program of the school together.  She and her husband Damon, have three young children,  and they reside in the DC metropolitan area.

Anika is also a performing artist and incorporates, music, drama and storytelling into most of her presentations. She has produced and written the songs for her 2 jazz albums and her music can be heard at https://soundcloud.com/anika_tene .  She is also a self taught fiber artist and practices weaving (scarves, tapestry, etc.), spinning yarn, knitting and crochet.  You can see some of her work at www.nikaknits.com.