When Cup O’ Vibes coffee shop owner Charletra Sharp first launched her Sipping Local Black History initiative, she received fewer than 50 nominations for Black leaders who made an impact in Arlington. Now in its third year, the online nomination form received over 200 submissions.
The annual February initiative honors three Black leaders either born and raised in Arlington or an Arlington ISD graduate — all of whom have had a significant impact on community members in Arlington — with a custom-made drink.
This year, Cup O’ Vibes is honoring Wanda Talton, assistant basketball coach at Texas Wesleyan University; Rev. Dr. James P. Thompson Jr., Mount Olive Baptist Church senior pastor; and Nikkie Hunter, Arlington City Council member.
Sharp said she began the initiative to align her coffee shop’s mantra, “Growing community and serving culture,” with her love of coffee and the Arlington community. She said she quickly saw the impact the initiative had on Cup O’ Vibes’ customers, whom she affectionately refers to as “neighbors.”
“(Neighbors) end up learning about more opportunities that are available in our community that they would not have known about,” Sharp said. “It becomes a resource for folks.”
Scherron Richard, a Cup O’ Vibes regular, said that the coffee shop has become a hub for everyone in the community, hosting events for retirees and book clubs, as well as her own organization, Legacy Circle.
Richard shared that because of community engagement, initiatives like Sipping Local Black History leave a meaningful impact on neighbors who see Cup O’ Vibes as a safe space.
“It really gives you a sense of pride to know that you have people in your community who have done amazing things, who are heroic or history makers,” Richard said. “It also conveys the message that anyone can do anything, and that you don’t have to be famous in order to be recognized or honored.”
Richard shared that her favorite of the three drinks created for honorees is council member Hunter’s drink: a pistachio and coconut latte. Sharp said she creates each drink based on things that remind her of the person being saluted.
Hunter’s drink was based on the district’s diversity and the popularity of pistachios in Middle Eastern restaurants and stores around the area. Talton’s drink is an energy drink with blue raspberry and passion fruit, the blue and orange representing the colors of Bowie High School, where she used to coach. Pastor Thompson will be honored with a blueberry and praline latte, which Sharp said was due to the homey nature of the flavor of praline and the comfort Thompson brings to the community.
Talton let out a delighted laugh when she found out her drink would be an energy drink, saying it perfectly fit her character. She served Arlington youth for 30 years, as basketball coach and educator at Sam Houston High School in addition to her time at Bowie High School.
“Even at my age, I’m still going and going and going,” Talton said. “I just love being around young people. They provide me with energy.”
She shared that initiatives like this help give young people leaders to look up to, especially when those leaders look like them and have similar backgrounds.
“When I came to Arlington, I could probably count on one hand the number of minority teachers that were in the school system,” Talton said. “I think by the kids seeing someone that looks like them in education, in a business, as a community leader, gives them hope that they can also become that.”
Thompson echoed the same sentiment, saying he would not be as successful as a pastor and leader as he is today without strong leadership, which helped his congregation trust him.
“There’s always this interesting relationship between generations, right? Every generation has miscalculations from one generation to another generation,” Thompson said. “If you don’t know your past, you can’t really steer your future or your present.”
Thompson said he has always emphasized the importance of stability within Black history because it is so often overlooked in the retelling of American history. He shared that stability has been what’s driven him to stay at the church for nearly 43 years, beginning as senior pastor at 30 years old.
“(The congregation) embraced me. They raised me. They were patient with me,” Thompson said. “You know, when you’re 30 years old, you’re gonna make some mistakes, right? And no matter what I would do the next day, they would give me another chance.”
City Council member Hunter oversees District 3 in Arlington, the same district in which Cup O’ Vibes is located. She shared that in her role as a council member, she has emphasized more community engagement, which she feels wouldn’t be possible without businesses like Cup O’ Vibes.
“That’s the heart of not only the district, that’s the heart of the city,” Hunter said. “Having a place where you can go hang out with your friends, your family, and do meetings like Charletra’s shop Cup O’ Vibes — we do need more businesses like that here. It just brings people together in the community.”
Bianca Rodriguez-Mora is a reporting fellow for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at bianca@fortworthreport.org.
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