In the midst of many brands issuing statements in support of Black Lives Matter, Ben & Jerrys’ statement stood out in a big way. The ice cream maker posted a blog this week detailing a four-step plan towards anti-racism action in the United States and reaffirming its commitment to speaking out against injustices toward Black people in America.
The post, titled “Silence is NOT an Option,” began with a plea to all Americans to not forget George Floyd, a black man killed by police in Minneapolis, MN, whose death set off protests around the country, along with the killings of other Black Americans like Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor.
“The murder of George Floyd was the result of inhumane police brutality that is perpetuated by a culture of white supremacy,” the post read: “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.”
The post, which features a graphic reading “Dismantle White Supremacy” at the top, goes on to detail four critical actions Ben & Jerry’s supports, including urging Congress to pass HR 40 and echoing George Floyd’s family in calling for the creation of “a national task force that would draft bipartisan legislation aimed at ending racial violence and increasing police accountability.” The whole post is VERY worth reading in full. You can do so here.
This recent post was different from the posts of other brands in many ways, largely because it was not even close to their first foray into political issues. The company had affirmed its support of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2016 and has posted many other articles including one detailing its support of reparations for Black Americans, one explaining systemic racism, and another supporting front end criminal justice reform. They also released a Justice Remix’d flavor last year to bring awareness to criminal justice reform and structural racism. This history and the power of the most recent statement proved to many that Ben & Jerry’s words were genuine.
