This AM the indispensable EVGrieve ran an interview with Neighborhood School students Maxie and Annika about their hatred of Starbucks and love of the library. Here is a bonus interview with Zoe, the 2nd grader who initially started the anti-Starbucks fervor in Room 308.

Why did you object to Starbucks?

Because I really liked The Bean. And when The Bean had to move I was mad about that. Starbucks needs a store on every two blocks! So me and Aza and Lucy came up with the idea of idea of talking to the class about The Bean. We made fliers and we put them in the kids’ mailboxes. They all said different things but mostly, The Bean Rules, Starbucks Drools, and I Love the Bean, Not Starbucks.

You became interested in protecting small businesses and workers because of your family, right? 

Yes. My grand-grandma Sarah, she worked for the Triangle Factory. When the fire happened it was a day when she didn’t have any work so luckily she didn’t get in the fire. But after the fire she was one of the big protestors. [Editor’s Note: Zoe’s great-grandmother was Sarah Dubow Sorenson, who became a prominent labor organizer who worked with John Reed and befriended a bunch of lefty artists. Zoe’s grandfather remembered being bounced on Diego Rivera’s lap.]

What is different about The Bean? 

I like that it’s a really chill place.

What is your favorite thing about the school library?

When I was looking for a book about mythical creatures, Cheryl helped me. It’s hard to find books about mythical creatures. And Cheryl reads to us. And authors come. And we did a voting thing to pick which one of four books was our favorite. My favorite was What Animals Really Like. The one I liked the least was All the Way to America. [Editor’s Note: That one is my favorite. Sorry, Zoe.] It’s important to save the library so we can have books to read and we can go to the library.

There you have it. The kids are at The Bean now, selling like little fiends.

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