Source: Ben & Jerry’s / Ben & Jerry’s
Ben & Jerry’s is still invited to the cookout, perpetually. The ice cream brand went the extra mile in releasing a statement that explicitly blast white supremacy, and was swiftly applauded for the message.
In a statement the brand shared on its website yesterday evening (June 2), Ben & Jerry’s described the murder of George Floyd as an act “inhumane police brutality that is perpetuated by a culture of white supremacy.”
Where is the lie?
“What happened to George Floyd was not the result of a bad apple; it was the predictable consequence of a racist and prejudiced system and culture that has treated Black bodies as the enemy from the beginning,” said the ice cream brand.
Ben & Jerry’s statement is particularly bold considering the statements of so many entities left so much to be desired. For example, the statement from the NFL reaked of hypocrisy considering the blackballing of Colin Kaepernick and since it didn’t even mention the police.
However, Ben & Jerry’s comments came with facts and receipts.
“Slavery, Jim Crow and segregation were systems of legalized and monetized white supremacy for which generations of Black and Brown people paid an immeasurable price. That cost must be acknowledged and the privilege that accrued to some at the expense of others must be reckoned with and redressed,” said the company.
Beyond lip service, the statement also calls for action, including called for the Department of Justice to actually use its Civil Rights Division and for Congress to pass H.R. 40, a bill which seeks to create a commission to study the effects of discrimination all the way back to the arrival of the first African slaves to North America in 1619.
The social media reaction was mostly praise from those with an eye on the jig. Of course, there’s always going to be the All Lives Matter faction of snowflakes, but that means more Ben & Jerry’s for us. The makers of Cherry Garcia offered their support for Black Lives Matter back in 2016.
Peep some of the reactions below.
Ben & Jerry’s Blasts White Supremacy In Solidarity With #BlackLivesMatter was originally published on hiphopwired.com
1.
Holy shit this Ben & Jerry's statement. https://t.co/fKXlLCZ0Vl pic.twitter.com/YISf0LYaeP
— Moneybagg Yo(hannes) 🇪🇷 (@AronYohannes) June 2, 2020
2.
Ben and Jerry's will put prison statistics on a tub of Rocky Road. They always been with the shits https://t.co/li0NnFmIxg
— Wee-Yum (@MrGee54) June 2, 2020
3.
Ben & Jerry’s ain’t never been scared to call a thing a thing. That’s why they stay in my freezer.
— ᴅᴏʟʟᴀʀ (@callmedollar) June 2, 2020
4.
ben & Jerry’s statement is by far the best statement i have ever read pic.twitter.com/BvzR6Vn2Wp
— 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚎 ꨄ (@jisoossainty) June 2, 2020
5.
Real talk? Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia is hands down the best fuckin’ ice cream I’ve ever had in my life. The chocolate... the cherries.... the creamy vanilla on a hot day..... 😘👌🏾You just can’t get that anywhere else.
— Jordan Peele (@JordanPeele) June 3, 2020
6.
read the Ben & Jerry’s statement on BLM and George Floyd and recognize how pathetically short every precious ivory tower’s statement falls in comparison to two dudes selling ice cream pic.twitter.com/OOuaqIVlu2
— que cera cera (@axtang) June 2, 2020
7.
Ben & Jerry's: "Instead of calling for the use of aggressive tactics on protestors, the President must take the first step by disavowing white supremacists and nationalist groups that overtly support him, and by not using his Twitter feed to promote and normalize their ideas."
— Ryan Struyk (@ryanstruyk) June 3, 2020
8.
The Ben and Jerry's website home page. This one really takes the cookie dough. #WokeCapitalism pic.twitter.com/Q7cn4y1Rl2
— Paul Embery (@PaulEmbery) June 3, 2020
9.
why did Ben and Jerry’s statement on dismantling white supremacy educate me more about black history than 12 years of sitting in history class? pic.twitter.com/NiWE1ETi8s
— francine (@francine_lubin) June 2, 2020
10.
ben & jerry’s might be expensive but at least i can eat it knowing they support the destruction of white supremacy
— jeff (@kindahungrym) June 3, 2020
11.
The way Ben & Jerry’s ALWAYS has their volume on 10.. https://t.co/cl98dTGfC4
— Ariam (@iambrattyb) June 3, 2020
12.
4 years ago, in the wake of Ferguson, we felt compelled to support the #BlackLivesMatter movement. We’re heartbroken those words are just as relevant today. These racist and brutal attacks against our Black brothers and sisters must end. #JusticeForFloyd https://t.co/7ngefmtqnu
— Ben & Jerry's (@benandjerrys) May 27, 2020
13.
I hope this is not controversial to say but...replace history textbooks with the Ben & Jerry's website https://t.co/py6nYaK0wb
— Caity Weaver (@caityweaver) June 2, 2020
14.
Ben and Jerry's had balls to use the words "BLACK" and "WHITE SUPREMACY" in their official corporate statement. I don't even like Ben and Jerry's ice cream that much, but I might try it out more because I have newfound respect for a company that has the balls to call out truth 🍨
— Shinjini Das (@SpeakerShinjini) June 3, 2020
