⚖️ Privilege Statement

How did I get here – creating a nonprofit devoted to serving free tea?

Travels to foreign countries, books like The Artist's Way, conversations with supportive friends and family, etc.

All of the above, and many other positive experiences I've had, can be attributed to my privilege.

I grew up in a loving, stable, household not far outside New York City. The public school I attended was well-funded and safe (and racist, our sports teams were called the "Indians"). My dad taught me how to manage my anxiety, my mom showed me my inner artist, and my older sister protected me from the worst of the toxic masculinity rampant in our town/world. My high school graduation gift was a trekking backpack.

In short, my family encouraged me to explore the world and myself, and I did. My white skin, maleness, and physical ability gave me access to resources and opportunities with few barriers. I did well at college (which my parents helped me pay for) and at my first full-time job.

During COVID, while many suffered physically and spiritually, my privilege led me toward a remote job in biotech, resulting in a high salary and a low-cost lifestyle. After saving enough money to cover my living expenses for an extended period of time, I moved to Brooklyn and quit my job, eager to focus my time and energy on something more creative and community-oriented.

Thus, The Tea Stand was born.

🍵

The privilege I've inherited is rooted in historical and systemic oppression.

From the genocide of indigenous peoples of this land to enslaving and lynching African peoples, the US is founded on racism and white supremacy. In today's world, the devastating effects of centuries of oppression are manifold: mass incarceration, underfunded public services (and the privatization of humans rights, like healthcare), hate crimes and police brutality committed against queer and trans folks and people of color, etc.

While I and my ancestors have too been victims of these systems, the truth remains: my whiteness and access to wealth puts me in a position of privilege and opportunity in sharp contrast to many of my peers with different backgrounds and identities.

So, what should I do with my privilege?

The list is long: de-conditioning myself from years of US exceptionalism propaganda, re-educating myself with a more radical and critical lens, listening to my non-white friends, contributing time and funds to community organizers and mutual aid initiatives, etc.

But I want to focus on how The Tea Stand is also part of my answer to this question: by serving free tea, I seek to use my privilege to create a more just world.

Here's a few examples:

1. Facilitating community connections across class and identity borders. A great deal of the racism rampant throughout the US is a product of segregation. When groups of people only exist on the news or in our imaginations, prejudice and fear thrive. Having a cup of tea and a conversation with someone different from you is a simple, effective way to humanize, build solidarity, and activate our natural desire to help others.
2. Collaborating with local mutual aid groups, artists, and community-oriented organizations. Collaborating is a form of resistance in our competition-crazed culture. By sharing resources and audiences with others in Bushwick and beyond, we can continue building toward a more loving community and liberated world. We always seek to amplify indigenous, queer, and POC voices and stories.
3. Creating spaces of stillness for introspection and healing. We're all suffering from capitalism, whether it's related to our loneliness epidemic, our horrible healthcare system, burnout, etc. We create spaces where people can practice mindfulness, sit with their feelings, talk with their neighbors, and heal ourselves and each other.

🍵

By holding gratitude for all I've been given, recognizing that I have enough, and choosing to share – tea, kindness, and resources, I hope to use my privilege to help eradicate its divisive effects and close the opportunity gap, the very one which brought me to where I am today.

FREE TEA FOR ALL!