The value of virtual coffee shops

David Justice, a PhD student at. St. Louis University, whose work is centered on Martin Luther King Jr., reflects on a way he has found to cultivate a scholarly community during the pandemic. 

One way that I've been staying connected during this pandemic has been a virtual writing group hosted through an organization called the Political Theology Network. Though the group got going prior to COVID widely spreading in America, it has turned into something that I look forward to each week (we meet Mondays and Fridays for two hours) as a way to stay connected to the world outside my apartment. The general routine is that the group members will chat for 15-20 minutes once everyone signs into Zoom, after which we all stay on the Zoom call until the end of the two hours, at which time we reconvene and share what we were able to accomplish during that time.

"The goal is essentially to imitate the experience of meeting with a group of people at a coffee shop to do work. In a time where we can't do that safely in person, virtual spaces are very valuable."

We also have a weekly Google Doc where we write down our goals for the week, what kind of support we feel we need, and write encouragement for each other. The goal is essentially to imitate the experience of meeting with a group of people at a coffee shop to do work. I've found this experience valuable as I attempt to keep up with my work in the midst of everything else that is going on. I think it's important to have a space where we connect with people who understand what we're going through and try to encourage each other to get through it together. So, in a time where we can't do that safely in person, virtual spaces are very valuable.

This experience has also taught me something about the limitations of physical spaces. While I long to see people face to face again the way I was able to prior to the pandemic, in this group I've had the opportunity to get to know people across the country, and even across the globe in a group that couldn't meet physically. While I very much empathize with wanting all of this social distancing and mask wearing to end, I do think it is helpful to take some time to be thankful for the silver linings along the way.

"In this group I've had the opportunity to get to know people across the country, and even across the globe in a group that couldn't meet physically."