Since before the founding of our country, coffee has fueled our civic discourse. Coffee shops were the original political think tanks, providing a space for diverse thinkers to gather and discuss. The seeds of American democracy were planted by revolutionaries conspiring over a cup, and since the Boston Tea Party, coffee has been unofficially recognized as America’s favorite drink.
What we love most about coffee is that it brings us all together. Whatever side you fall on, we all reach for a mug every morning. We collide in coffee shops, hold the door for each other, and share a table when all are full. We all enjoy this dark, buzzing brew that fires our neurons and crystalizes our creativity. (Or maybe you only drink tea, and that’s cool too.) Coffee is part of the third space – not home, not work, but something shared, something in between.
So embrace the third space. Share your ideas with someone new, and listen to their ideas in return. Look at your cup of coffee not as a simple morning drink, but as a vehicle of civic engagement. And please, walk that coffee down to the ballot box and VOTE.