Remembering Kupernikus: Coffee with community

Coffeehouses may seem an unlikely place for social work. But they've
been a part of social work since the beginning. In fact, a coffeehouse
was an early addition to the Hull House complex.

I've written before about some of the modern coffeeshops which carry
on this tradition (including the Hard Times in Minneapolis). In
important ways, these places are both community centers for their
neighborhoods and extensions of social service agencies.

Kupernikus in St.Paul was another example of a coffeeshop which
mirrored the ideas of social work's founders. Open during the 1990s,
it was located in a cavernous warehouse in the Lowertown district of
the city. Like the Hard Times, it played a special role in being a
safe place for homeless young people.

Anna Stanley, a friend of mine since the 1960s, was a key figure in
Kupernikus. A veteran activist (we met at a sit-in), she was recruited
to to work at the coffeehouse because of her years of work with young
people. She had been a teacher at an alternative high school and part
of the artistic team which created the Phillips Gateway in Minneapolis.

Anna lived upstairs from Kupernikus and could often be found talking
with young people during "off hours." She parked her car on the street
and left it unlocked in case someone needed a place to sleep. She
would leave a few cigarettes and some change on the dashboard. "All I
asked was that when you could you replaced what you took."

People liked the sense of community and the informality of Kupernikus,
Anna said. Her comments are echoed in the work of a number of writers,
including the authors of "Urban sanctuaries: Neighborhood
organizations in the lives and futures of inner city youth."

The authors point out that many social service agencies concentrate on
delivering services. But that's not enough. Many people, especially
young people, want the experience of community as well.

The authors suggest that instead of providing services in agency
settings, social workers should consider moving into community
settings such as coffeeshops to do their work. That's exactly what
Kupernikus tried to do.

Kupernikus is gone now. But it does live on in film. It was the
setting for an independent movie called "Cafe Donna." Inspired in part
by the Hard Times Coffeeshop, it tells the story of a coffeeshop
threatened with closing by a city council which didn't like its work
with youth.

COFFEESHOP IS NOW
THE PLACE TO MEET

Coffeeshops are replacing bars as the place to start a relationship.
That's the thrust of a recent article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Under the headline "Relationships: Hot (coffee) date," writer Gail
Rosenblum extols the benefits of a coffeeshop as the meeting spot.
Sidebars offer a "How to guide for a coffeeshop date" and "Best
independent coffeeshops in the Twin Cities." You can find the story
online at www.startribune.com/218/story/933072.html. (You may have to
register to read the full story.)

HERE'S A CUP OF
COFFEE SLOGAN

Small town comfort in a cup -- Yeti's Grind, Eagle, CO
Red, white and brew -- javawear.com
A perk you deserve -- Dark Canyon Coffee Co, Rapid City, SD
Peace and latte to all men -- Costa Coffee, London, England
Don't settle for the average Joe -- Denver City Search
Life is too short for bad coffee -- Kaladi's, Sioux Falls, SD

KING'S CHALLENGE * BILL PHOTOS * TEA, TOO * Bill's Coffeeshop Newsletter * Vol. 8 No. 1 * Jan. 5, 2007

GREAT PHOTO ARCHIVE
OF BILL SACKTER

Like to see photos of Bill Sackter's life? Check out the growing photo
archive at www.BillSackter.com. You'll find lots of wonderful
pictures, plus a bit of video. The website is part of the promotional
work for a new documentary film about Bill and the coffeeshop which
carries his name. You can also find information about Lane Wyrick,
filmmaker for the documentary.

DR. KING'S RADICAL CHALLENGE:
WORK FOR A GREATER HUMANITY

By CESAR CHAVEZ

Editor's note: Cesar Chavez ( 1927-1993) was a founder of the United Farm
Workers and an influential figure in the Chicano civil rights
Movement. (Learn more about Chavez at the UFW website: www.ufw.org.)
This is an excerpt from a speech he gave on Martin Luther King Day in
1990.

MARTIN Luther King was a powerful figure of destiny, of courage, of
sacrifice, and of vision. Few people in the long history of this
nation can rival his accomplishment, his reason, or his selfless
dedication to the cause of peace and justice.

Many people will tell you of his wonderful qualities and his many
accomplishments. But what makes him special to me, the truth that many
people don't want you to remember, is that Dr. King was a great
activist, fighting for radical social change with radical methods.

While other people talked about change, Dr. King used direct action to
challenge the system. He welcomed it, and used it wisely.

Dr. King was also radical in his beliefs about violence. He learned to
to successfully fight hatred and violence with the unstoppable power of
nonviolence.

He once stopped an armed mob, saying: "We are not advocating violence.
We want to love our enemies. I want you to love our enemies. Be good
to them. That is what we live by. We must meet hate with love."

The men who rule this country today never learned the lessons of Dr
King. They never learned that non-violence is the only way to peace
and justice.

Our nation continues to wage war on its neighbors, and upon itself.

The powers that be rule over a racist society, filled with hatred and
ignorance.

Our nation continues to be segregated along racial and economic lines.

The powers that be make themselves richer by exploiting the poor. Our
nation continues to allow children to go hungry, and will not even
house its own people.

The enemies of justice want you to think of Dr. King as only a civil
rights leader, but he had a much broader agenda. He was a tireless
crusader for the rights of the poor, for an end to the war in Vietnam
(long before it was popular to take that stand), and for the rights of
workers everywhere.

Dr. King challenged us to work for a greater humanity. I hope we are
worthy of his challenge.

THINK OF BILL'S
FOR TEA, TOO

Few places in town have as many varieties of tea as Bill's Coffeeshop.
We've got more than 20 varieties, from Sleepytime to Zinger. So think
of Bill's as a tea shop as well as a coffeeshop.

WORDS THAT SHOULD BE
IN THE DICTIONARY

Accordionated: Able to drive and refold a road map at the same time.

Burgacide: When a hamburger hurls itself from the grill onto the coals.

Dimp: A person who asks you at a dollar store: Do you work here?

Elbonics: Art of getting armrests on both sides in a movie theater.

Frust: The small bit of debris which cannot be swept into the dust pan.

Disconfect: Sterilizing a piece of candy by blowing on it after you
dropped it on the floor.

Aquadextrous: Ability to turn bath tub faucets on and off with your feet.

Do you have a few favorite "daffy-nitions?" Send them to the Newsletter.
_________________________________
Wild Bill's Coffeeshop is a project of the School of Social Work at
the University of Iowa. It has been a part of campus life in Iowa City
for more than 30 years. Tony Grego, an MSW student, is the current
coffeeshop manager. For more information, call (319) 335-1281.

Bill's Coffeeshop Newsletter is a weekly publication distributed via
email. It is written by Tom Gilsenan, a former coffeeshop manager.
Opinions expressed in the Newsletter are those of the writers and
should not be construed as representing the School of Social Work or
the University of Iowa. You can find a file of back issues at
www.uiowa.edu/~socialwk/bills/newsletter .