Ben & Jerry's

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Ben & Jerry's is a Vermont company that manufactures ice cream, frozen yogurt, and sorbet. It was founded in 1978 in Burlington, Vermont, and in April 2000, Ben & Jerry's sold the company to Anglo-Dutch multinational food giant Unilever. Unilever said it hoped to carry on the tradition of engaging "in these critical, global economic and social missions". Although the founders' names are still attached to the product, they do not hold any board or management position and are not involved in day-to-day management of the company. Today it operates globally as a fully owned subsidiary of Unilever. Its present-day headquarters is in South Burlington, Vermont, with its main factory in Waterbury, Vermont.

Issues Ben & Jerry's Support

The Brand also committed to tackle issues that they are care about, such as

  • Justice ReMix'd (criminal justice and fairness campaign),
  • Democracy
  • Support GMO Labelling
  • Fairtrade
  • LGBT Equality
  • Get The Dough Out of Politics
  • Peace Building
  • rBGH
  • Refugees
  • Racial Justice

Racial Justice Issue

Ben & Jerry’s has been working on issues related to race since 2016, in the aftermath of the shooting of Keith Lamont Scott by a Charlotte police officer, when it first aligned itself with the Black Lives Matter movement and encouraged customers to educate themselves or be complicit.[1] Ben & Jerry's believed that racism is still deeply embedded within systems like in schools, workplaces, the criminal justice system and hospitals, to name a few. They think that because white people occupy a disproportionate number of positions of power in society it comes at the expense of people of color. Therefore, they took a stand in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and received a massive response--mostly of overwhelming support, but also mixed with misunderstanding, sincere questions and some hatred. But the poin is that, it started a conversation.[2] They tackled this issue while partnering with organization like Color of Change and NAACP.

Podcast

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On September 15, 2020, Ben & Jerry's are launching a podcast in partnership with Vox Media and The Who We Are Project. “Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America" will take a deep look at America's lesser-known history of racial injustice and show how legally-enforced discrimination and state-sanctioned brutality continued long after slavery ended, profoundly affecting Black Americans’ ability to gain access to jobs, housing, education, and health care, or to create and accumulate wealth. The 6-episode podcast is based on the acclaimed presentation of the same name by Jeffery Robinson, ACLU deputy legal director and director of the ACLU Trone Center for Justice and Equality. It will explore a side of American history that most of us didn’t learn about in school: a history of the people and systems that sought to justify human trafficking, slavery, and the subjugation of Black Americans long after slavery was legally outlawed. Robinson spent nine years researching his multi-media “Who We Are” presentation, which will soon be released as a documentary. The goal of “Who We Are” is to educate and encourage audiences to dismantle systemic racism. We have been lifting the lid on systemic racism and criminal justice reform over the last few years, and are excited to bring this story to our fans.[3]

References

  1. Stewart, Rebecca (2020). ‘It's not a marketing exercise’: Ben & Jerry’s on dismantling white supremacy. Retrieved on January 13, 2020.
  2. Ben & Jerry's. Racial Justice. Retrieved on January 13, 2021.
  3. Ben & Jerry's (2020). Introducing “Who We Are: A Chronicle Of Racism In America,” A New Podcast In Partnership With Vox Media. Retrieved on January 13, 2021.