Yesterday, Ben & Jerry’s issued a statement expressing their support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
In the midst of an ongoing epidemic of violence against black people at the hands of police, both supporters and opponents of the movement have taken to Twitter with the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter to convey their views on the subject. The opposition has taken the form of a countermovement known as “All Lives Matter,” advocated by (primarily white) people who have monumentally missed the point of BLM. But Ben & Jerry’s is here to lay down the truth.
The ice-cream company wrote in their statement that “the first step in overcoming systemic racism and injustice is to simply understand and admit that there is a problem.” The letter goes on to express that one major key in fighting systemic racism is to never be indifferent: “We have come to understand that to be silent about the violence and threats to the lives and well-being of Black people is to be complicit in that violence and those threats.”
The company would also like to stress that it is crucial to “understand the perspective of others whose experiences are different from our own.” They point out that their statement is not an attempt to place blame on individuals; rather, it is an urge to bring people together in order to “better our society and institutions so that we may finally fulfill the founding promise of this country: to be a country with dignity and justice for all.”
The statement alludes to the “All Lives Matter” campaign by articulating, “All lives do matter. But all lives will not matter until Black lives matter.”
Twitter users are showing their support for the company’s statement, posting punny ice-cream flavor suggestions like “Hands up, Don’t Scoop” and “Fudge The Police” under the hashtag #BenAndJerrysNewFlavor.
This is not the first time Ben & Jerry’s has spoken out about prejudice against people of color; in the past, the company has published articles entitled “7 Ways We Know Systemic Racism Is Real” and “How Can I Be Less Prejudiced?”: The Best Answer We’ve Ever Heard”.
While the statement has evoked anger and even calls for boycotting from certain individuals, we hope that others will follow Ben & Jerry’s lead and join the battle against injustice.
