Less than a week after the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, ice cream makers Ben & Jerry’s issued a statement denouncing white supremacy. As Donald Trump leaves the White House and Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th president, America finds itself at a pivotal moment. Will the country unite to confront the deadly virus and systemic injustice, or will it continue to ignore these issues?
Although Ben & Jerry’s is an ice cream company, it has long set itself apart by advocating for social justice causes. Now, the company is calling on white people to step up and dismantle white supremacy. CONTINUE BELOW
“The events of January 6, 2021, were not a protest—they were a riot to uphold white supremacy,” Ben & Jerry’s stated on January 11, 2021. “It was allowed to happen. The mostly white insurrectionists roamed freely through the heart of our democracy. The only explanation is that this was allowed because they were white—not Black, Brown, or Indigenous people.”
The company continued: “We saw two Americas on January 6. In one, we saw record voter turnout driven by Black voters, culminating in the election of Georgia’s first Black and first Jewish senators—our democracy at its best. In the second, a mostly white mob, encouraged by the president, violently attacked the Capitol to overturn a free and fair election. It was a failed coup—our democracy in peril. Black and Brown people have long understood this double standard of white supremacy.” CONTINUE BELOW
Ben & Jerry’s concluded, “How we respond to the events of January 6 will determine which America we will be. Resign, impeach, 25th Amendment… not one more day.”
With President Biden now in office, Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield believes the country must focus on criminal justice reform. “We need accountability for police,” Greenfield said. “Police have essential roles, but there are times when they fall short, and there’s no accountability. We can’t build trust between communities and police until this changes. Qualified immunity shields police from accountability, and it must end.” What do you think about Ben & Jerry’s call for white people to help end white supremacy?
