BLK Beetles, a Houston-based collective focused on reconnecting people of color with nature and community, is entering a new phase of growth after launching what leaders describe as its most ambitious effort yet: the BLK Beetles Collective.
The Houston-based group, which began as a podcast in 2021, has evolved into an organization that hosts outdoor meetups, creative workshops, and storytelling projects that emphasize belonging and cultural safety. Since its founding, BLK Beetles has engaged more than 1,400 participants through running crews, guided hikes, birdwatching events, and its digital platform, BLK Beetles StoryHouse.
“People weren’t just eager to hear stories of belonging; they were
eager to live them,” said co-founder Samad Hinton told Blavity. “That realization pushed us to widen our focus. Our communities needed real spaces where people of color could rediscover the joy, possibility, and healing that comes from being connected to one another.”The expansion comes as research continues to show disparities in access to green space. Hinton noted that communities of color are “nearly three times more likely than white communities to live in nature-deprived areas.” So they’re eager to re-engage with nature, but often arrive at outdoor events with concerns about safety and acceptance.
BLK Beetles addresses those concerns by designing programming through what leaders call a “cultural safety lens.” In a recent partnership with REI, the group hosted skill-building workshops to lower barriers to outdoor participation.
According to Hinton, participants shared how identity and lived experience influence where—and with whom—they feel comfortable recreating. “This affirmed that the outdoors is not a neutral space,” he said.
As reported by Blavity, co-lead Kelly Hubbell-Hinton said the shift can be transformative once people find a welcoming environment. She described an early member who joined a running group seeking connection and later helped develop a women-of-color running series focused on safety. That participant eventually trained alongside others to complete her first 25K trail race.
“People arrive unsure, and then open up,” Hubbell-Hinton said. “They begin to see nature as a place where they can move freely and genuinely belong.”
In October 2025, BLK Beetles formally launched the BLK Beetles Collective, offering recurring outdoor gatherings and creative programming for adults of color. Leaders say the effort was made possible through support from the adidas Community Lab, which provided funding, mentorship, and strategic guidance.
“The Community Lab helped us see that culturally safe, welcoming outdoor spaces can become the standard, not the exception,” Hinton said.
With new infrastructure in place, BLK Beetles plans to expand to Albuquerque in 2026. As the group grows, its leaders say their mission remains rooted in combating isolation and loneliness.
“One in five adults in the U.S. feels lonely on a daily basis,” Hubbell-Hinton said. “Our role is to remind people they don’t have to move through life alone.”
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