⚖️ A Note from Miles
Hi! I'm Miles, the founder and steward of The Tea Stand. Below is a brief bio and privilege statement – thanks for reading.
How did I get here – serving free tea as my full-time work?
Curiosity, persistence, and a whole lot of privilege.
For most, the concept of quitting your job to go serve free tea in your park is not only absurd, it's impossible. Real wages have stagnated while rent, healthcare, and other living costs continue to increase. We live in a sick world with a system designed to benefit the wealthy, exploit the poor, and destroy our planet. The US today is a product and continuation of the genocide of the indigenous people of the land I now occupy, the enslaving and lynching of African peoples, and the systemic oppression of millions domestically and around the world.
In other words, my privilege as a white, upper-middle class man is built on centuries of violence.
Without this privilege, I likely would not have access to personal savings from my previous job in biotech. And without these savings, I would not be able to my bills while working full-time on The Tea Stand, which has only brought in substantial income as of early 2025 (via our membership program).
Below, I'd like to share a little more about the privilege I've benefitted from since a young age and how I seek to use that privilege to bring about a more equitable world via The Tea Stand.
I grew up in a loving, stable, upper middle-class 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 took me camping and introduced me to the outdoors, my mom taught me to value my inner artist, and my older sister protected me from the worst of the toxic masculinity rampant in our town/world. From a young age, my family encouraged me to explore the world and myself, and I had the resources and free time to do both.
My privilege was also a powerful force during my studies at a resource-wealthy (and gentrifying & fossil-fuel-loving) university, which my parents helped me pay for. My white skin, maleness, and physical abilities continued to give me access to opportunities with few barriers – I landed well-paid internships, studied abroad and traveled often (where I fell in love with tea) , and developed meaningful relationships, modeled after the healthy relationships I'd grown up with.
I graduated from university in 2020. During quarantine days, while many suffered physically and spiritually (and continue to), my privilege afforded me a remote job in biotech, resulting in a high salary and a low-cost lifestyle. After feeling increasingly disillusioned in our healthcare system and saving enough money to cover my living expenses for an extended period of time, I moved to Brooklyn and quit my job. I had a few creative projects I was excited to focus more energy on, The Tea Stand being one of them.
Over the past several years, but especially since quitting my job, I've worked to de-condition myself from years of propaganda, re-educate myself with a more radical and critical lens (here are some impactful books), listen to and amplify the voices of my marginalized peers, contribute time and funds to community organizers and mutual aid initiatives, etc.
The Tea Stand is both a result of these efforts and a means to continue practicing them. Similarly, The Tea Stand is both a product of my privilege and an effort to work toward a society where such privilege and opportunity gaps don't exist.
Here are a few examples:
- Facilitating community connections across class and identity borders. A great deal of the racism rampant throughout the US is a product of state-endorsed 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 trust, and activate our natural desire to be in community with those around us.
- Collaborating with local mutual aid groups, artists, and community-oriented organizations. We celebrate and honor those around us doing the work and playing their role to work toward a post-capitalist future – groups like BK Jail Support & Club A, projects like Worn Not Torn & Khilna Collective, and artists/healers like Taylor Maude Love & Val Maerz. By partnering with local organizers and radical creatives, we seek to build and support a community rooted in love and resistance.
- Creating spaces of stillness for introspection and healing. We're all suffering in our sick society, whether from loneliness, institutional racism, lack of healthcare access, burnout, etc. The Tea Stand creates accessible spaces where people can practice stillness, sit with their feelings, talk with their neighbors, and share local resources. This is one small step toward more social infrastructure and community care.
By holding gratitude for all I've been given, recognizing that I have enough, and choosing to share – tea, conversation, and love, I hope to use my privilege to work toward a more loving, liberated world.
FREE TEA FOR ALL!