{ "@id": "https://freepresshoustonarchive.com/articles/interview-erica-raggett-creator-of-a-2nd-cup#article", "recordType": "Article", "canonical": "https://freepresshoustonarchive.com/articles/interview-erica-raggett-creator-of-a-2nd-cup", "alternate": { "html": "https://freepresshoustonarchive.com/articles/interview-erica-raggett-creator-of-a-2nd-cup", "json": "https://freepresshoustonarchive.com/articles/interview-erica-raggett-creator-of-a-2nd-cup.json" }, "recordPublisher": { "@id": "https://freepresshoustonarchive.com/#archive-organization", "name": "Free Press Houston Archive" }, "about": { "@id": "https://freepresshoustonarchive.com/#organization", "name": "Free Press Houston" }, "publisher": { "@id": "https://freepresshoustonarchive.com/#organization", "name": "Free Press Houston" }, "slug": "interview-erica-raggett-creator-of-a-2nd-cup", "title": "Interview: Erica Raggett, Creator of A 2nd Cup", "deck": null, "author": { "@id": "https://freepresshoustonarchive.com/contributors/amanda-hart#person", "name": "Amanda Hart", "url": "https://freepresshoustonarchive.com/contributors/amanda-hart" }, "editorName": null, "publication": { "@id": "https://freepresshoustonarchive.com/#organization", "name": "Free Press Houston" }, "issue": null, "publicationDate": "2012-09-18", "publicationYear": 2012, "sourceDateRaw": "September 18, 2026", "dateBasis": "Publication timestamp preserved in the page's own article:published_time metadata (2012-09-18); the rendered date on the damaged site was disregarded.", "bodyYearAnomaly": true, "printedPages": null, "section": "Editorial", "subjects": [ "A 2nd Cup", "Editorial", "Houston", "Local And State", "Womens Issues", "coffee", "human trafficking", "non profit", "sex trafficking" ], "entities": [], "collections": [], "origin": "web", "originalUrl": "https://freepresshouston.com/interview-erica-raggett-creator-of-a-2nd-cup/", "alternateUrls": [], "era": "wordpress", "body": [ "Photos by Erica Raggett", "A new coffee shop recently opened in the Heights, and it’s serving up a lot more than just your daily dose of caffeine . A 2nd Cup and its creator, Erica Raggett, are taking on human trafficking one cup of coffee at a time. They are located at 1035 E. 11th St., and their current hours of operation are Sundays from 8am-2pm and Tuesdays from 4pm-10pm. Free Press Houston sat down with Erica to talk about how A 2nd Cup came to be and what they hope to accomplish here in Houston.", "FPH: Who is Erica Raggett? Tell us a little bit about your history.", "FPH: When did you first become aware of human trafficking, specifically here in Houston?", "ER: In December 2026 I was introduced to human-trafficking through a video from Love146, an anti-trafficking group working out of Connecticut. I was completely taken aback. I had never heard of human trafficking and could not even begin to fathom that slavery still existed in the world, let alone our country and our city. I was shocked and outraged and angry that this could be happening, that human beings could do something so cruel to other human beings. I knew that I could not walk away from this knowledge. I was forever changed and moved from learning what I had learned, and I knew that I had to do something. I began researching what human trafficking looked like in our city and who the major players were in the fight against it. I became involved with a few organizations but primarily volunteered my time with an organization called Redeemed Ministries, where I was exposed to the realities of brothels throughout Houston and worked with survivors.", "FPH: Where did the inspiration to open a nonprofit coffee shop come from?", "ER: I have always loved coffee shops. One of my favorite things to do is to explore and frequent local coffee shops. I love how casual and laid back they are and how they can promote a sense of community just by offering a delicious drink and a comfortable place to meet with friends, family, and colleagues.", "As I began learning more about human trafficking in Houston and the local groups fighting against it, I came up with the idea of A 2nd Cup. Why couldn’t I connect my dream of a coffee shop with the fight against human trafficking? I realized that everyone in our city needed to be exposed to the reality of human trafficking. And knowing the kind, generous, passionate citizens of Houston, I knew they would want to help.", "FPH: What sort of community outreach will A 2nd Cup offer to help educate our community about the sex trafficking industry here in Houston?", "ER: We have already begun to educate the community about human trafficking. We plan to have at least one educational event per month. September holds several awareness events at A 2nd Cup:", "9/6 – CAMSA (Coalition to Abolish Modern-day Slavery in Asia) will hold an event to highlight the work they are doing in Vietnam and other Asian countries.", "9/14 - Children at Risk will reveal some research they have done to identify over 350 brothels in Houston.", "9/18 - “Black Gold” will be screened at A 2nd Cup as a joint event with Houston Rescue and Restore.", "We are also educating the community about different anti-trafficking organizations in Houston that they can get involved with. We have information about several Houston-based organizations, including the organization’s mission statement, the work done by the organization, how volunteers can be involved, and contact information available to our customers.", "FPH: What else can our community do to help you with this endeavor, other than come in for a cup of joe?", "ER: We are in fundraising mode to open a permanent location with full business hours and offer more services. So, donations are definitely a huge help right now. Whether people are interested in giving monthly or in one lump sum, they can go to our website: www.a2ndcup.com and give through Paypal, or contact me directly via [email protected] . We also love our volunteers, and depend so much on their compassion and generosity. To sign up as a volunteer, you can email me at [email protected] .", "Twitter", "Facebook", "by Amanda Hart" ], "images": [], "lostImageUrls": [], "objects": [], "sources": [ { "id": "interview-erica-raggett-creator-of-a-2nd-cup-web", "sourceType": "web-live", "label": "freepresshouston.com — surviving page", "originalUrl": "https://freepresshouston.com/interview-erica-raggett-creator-of-a-2nd-cup/", "assetUrl": null, "retrievalDate": "2026-08-28", "confidence": "probable", "note": "Recovered from the damaged live site; injected spam and template furniture removed, text and image order preserved.", "sourceByline": "Amanda Hart", "sourceDate": "September 18, 2026", "sourceCategory": "Editorial", "sourceTags": [ "A 2nd Cup", "Editorial", "Houston", "Local And State", "Womens Issues", "a 2nd cup", "coffee", "houston", "human trafficking", "non profit", "sex trafficking" ], "webStatus": "live" } ], "fingerprint": "interview-erica-raggett-creator-of-a-2nd-cup", "reviewStatus": "unreviewed", "confidence": "probable", "provenance": "recovered" }