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Equator Coffees & Teas‘ founders Helen Russell and Brooke McDonnell have long been vocal in their support of inclusion and human rights.

So when Sprudge, the digital hub for the coffee industry, began organizing a nationwide campaign to raise funds for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in the wake of the executive order banning refugees from the United States and immigration from 7 majority Muslim nations, they reached out to Equator to be one of the key influencers to get on board and spread the word.

They’ve done just that, and from Feb. 3-5, Equator’s two Mill Valley cafes and three others are among the 500-plus cafes around the United States raising money for the ACLU. Equator is accepting ACLU donations at each of its cafes, and is matching the first $500 raised. Other cafes are donating a percentages of sales or hosting special events.

Sprudge compared the executive order to “a hot mug of drip coffee spilled on a crisp white apron,” calling the actions “a dark stain on our national conscience, and as Americans, we feel compelled to stand up against them.”

The event looks to assist the ACLU, the “non-partisan guardian of liberty, working tirelessly since 1920 to defend the country’s original civic values, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. They have no political affiliation or ideological component to their mission. Today they’re defending innocent refugee and immigrant families impacted by the recent executive orders—tomorrow they could be defending you, because they are committed to defending all of us.”

“Not all heroes wear capes, but all lawyers need coffee,” Sprudge added.

The 411: Equator’s cafes at 2 Miller Ave. in downtown Mill Valley, 244 Shoreline Hwy. in Tam Junction, in downtown Larkspur and its two San Francisco cafes downtown and in SOMA, are participating in the Sprudge fundraiser. Here’s a map of the cafes participating in this campaign throughout the U.S.:


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