Keith Hawkins teaches students about every aspect of coffee from seed to cup. Recently, that's meant looking to the history of their own neighborhood to brew something that can be appreciated by all people and from all communities.
But for Keith Hawkins and the group of teens he leads in Houston's Fifth Ward, the popular drink is about more than a caffeine kick.Keith Hawkins, Founder/CEO, Color of Coffee Collective In fact, Hawkins teaches students about every aspect of coffee from - seed to cup - but recently, that's meant looking to the history of their own neighborhood to brew something that can be appreciated by all people from all communities.
I'm actually very happy that he created this group.He and students Paul, Lonnell, and Javier have gathered around in a circle for conversation and a bit of an after-school snack. "Talk to me about what you guys know about Dr. Martin Luther King, other than the 'I Have a Dream Speech,'" Hawkins continues. Inside the room at the Fifth Ward Multi-Service Center, it's the day after Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and the group is catching up."What I try to do is create these spaces for these young people to have, where they can come and say, look, 'I may not want to get in coffee, but I have job skills that are prevalent or relatable to any industry,'" Hawkins told ABC13.and with it -- coffee camps, giving students hands-on training and education about the beverage that about two-thirds of American adults drink each day, and according to theNot just about coffee, but how to be a better person, how to be a better man in the future?"I'm actually very happy that he created this group," said 16-year-old student Paul Lewis - Snell. "I didn't know much about coffee. And so not only did I learn how to make it, I learned to do step-by-step to make not just coffee, but lattes and pretty much every single one of them you could think of." Thanks to the Urban Enrichment Institute at the center, students can go to these camps, where Hawkins shares the knowledge he's acquired after nearly 30 years and counting in the business. "I literally prayed about how can I make the industry better and what does that look like? And the vision was launched and cast and here we are today creating spaces for all people of all colors," Hawkins explained. Hawkins served in the Army for 10 years, but after leaving the military, wasn't sure which direction to take until a friend told him about a possible opportunity. "A friend of mine said, 'Hey, man, they're hiring over here at this company for coffee delivery drivers. And I was like, 'Cool, man. I'll get it,'" Hawkins begins. "And actually, it started out as a water delivery, and then it slowly grew into a coffee route. Here I am 28 years later and still in the industry, just moved in different areas of the industry and I love every bit of it."Keith Hawkins, Founder/CEO, Color of Coffee Collective Through the Color of Coffee Collective, Hawkins says the goal is to introduce coffee to students as a way of workforce development, and while most people may think that means barista, there are many other avenues. "Whether you want to be a roaster of coffee, you want to be a producer of coffee, you want to learn how to sell and buy coffee, you want to trade coffee, you want to be a small business owner... That's our goal and then literally we try to teach them every aspect of the business," he explained. "It was about the history of Fifth Ward, like where it came from, the roots of Fifth Ward," student Lonnell O'Bryant, 18, said. Settled by freedmen, it was established in 1866 and added to the city's ward system, which legally no longer exists, but the designation remained. During the 1880s, Fifth Ward started to prosper until 1912 when a fire devastated the north side of the community. By the 1950s, it bounced back, going on to become the heart of Black Houston. The artery central to that success was Lyons Avenue. "Fifth Ward is rich with so much heritage both with musical talents as well as not just athletic talents, but just overall ingenuity and brilliance and great politicians who have come from this community and have made an impact not just in this city, but in this country," Hawkins explained."We still live in a food desert, and times are hard, and economically they're hard, and not just on... on the parents, but the students as well," Hawkins said.Among the problems - freeway projects I-10 and Highway 59 ripped through the community in the 1960s, creating literal barriers that severed Lyons Avenue and led to building abandonment and population decline. The decay also added to a reputation for crime. But a look back at ABC13's archives shows investment has long been on the minds of Fifth Ward residents. As one resident told Eyewitness News in 1971 during the Swiney Park Street Festival, "The people got together out here and said, 'Well, you know, we're going to uplift our community because everybody's pointing the finger at us.""Swiney Park Street Festival is more than a lot of fun, more than a lot of free food. It is an appreciation for the residents of this neighborhood, for their self-initiative," Porter reported at the time. In recent years, some projects have looked to preserve the history of Fifth Ward, and now you could say that includes 1866 Coffee. Hawkins says that the students trained for two-and-a-half years, so the next step was looking for something different to do after having taken field trips to places like"It actually made me feel great because not only do I get this opportunity, I can also introduce this opportunity to other people that I know and we all can use this opportunity," Paul said. "If you get an opportunity like this, take advantage of it, because it's probably not going to happen again." "I think I've seen students go from, 'Man, I don't drink coffee, and I don't know what that means, and I don't even have an idea, and why would I want to be a part of something like that?' to everyday excited to come in to brew up another cup of coffee, to perfect the coffee that they made the time before," Hawkins said. While the students' 1866 Coffee started as an idea right there in class, the brand goes beyond Texas borders.But it does come full circle to the Lone Star State; the coffee is shipped to Texas, and roasted in Taylor, about 40 minutes from Austin."Not just about coffee, but how to be a better person, how to be a better man in the future?" Lonnell shared. "Where are you going to go in the future? What helps you?"20 minutes ago
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
‘Collective hope’: Alaska leaders reflect on Rev. Jesse Jackson’s civil rights legacyThe Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, a protege of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and two-time presidential candidate, led the Civil Rights Movement for decades after King’s assassination. Jackson was a young organizer in Chicago when he met with King at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, shortly before King was killed.
Read more »
Cybersecurity Requires Collective ResilienceLeaders must coordinate with other organizations in their ecosystem to prevent and respond to cyber risk.
Read more »
New Vestiaire Collective CEO Bernard Osta Eyes U.S. Growth as Platform Seeks ProfitabilityVestiaire Collective CEO Bernard Osta targets U.S. growth and profitability, leveraging strategic execution and expanding the luxury resale market.
Read more »
Why US coffee prices are still high, even as prices fall globallyBusiness Insider tells the global tech, finance, stock market, media, economy, lifestyle, real estate, AI and innovative stories you want to know.
Read more »
ICA show explores five decades of a Black Boston artists collectiveThe African American Master Artist In Residency Program, or AAMARP, has offered free studio space and resources to artists of color in Boston for almost 50 years. Now, it's at the center of a show at the ICA.
Read more »
Your Voice| Denver7: Edgewater Collective continues to uplift JeffCo's Latino community despite challengesSophia Villalba joined the Denver7 news team in October 2025.
Read more »