Ben & Jerry’s, the popular Vermont-based ice cream company, is making an effort to take a stand against institutionalized racism.
The company announced their support for the Black Lives Matter movement on Thursday and released an accompanying seven-point list that spells out the realities of systemic racism. They also said that people who choose to be silent on the issues affecting the black community are also complicit in those problems.
“It’s been hard to watch the list of unarmed Black Americans killed by law enforcement officers grow longer and longer,” the company wrote in a statement. “We understand that numerous Black Americans and white Americans have profoundly different experiences and outcomes with law enforcement and the criminal justice system. That’s why it’s become clear to us at Ben & Jerry’s that we have a moral obligation to take a stand now for justice and for Black lives."
The company also took on people who say “all lives matter” in response to the movement.
“All lives do matter. But all lives will not matter until black lives matter,” the company wrote. “Change happens when people are willing to listen and hear the struggles of their neighbor, putting aside preconceived notions and truly seeking to understand and grow. We’ll be working hard on that, and ask you to as well.”
Ever since the announcement was made, folks on Twitter celebrated the ice-cream company’s stance with the hashtag #BenAndJerrysNewFlavor.
