Ice Cream Chain Ben & Jerry's Endorse Black Lives Matter Movement

In a statement released on their website, ice cream pioneers Ben & Jerry's expressed their passionate support of the Black Lives Matter movement. The statement was both a declaration of their own endorsement and a call to action for others, stating 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," and asking readers to "join us in not being complicit." The statement came to a close with a concise summation of one of the main conflicts between the Black Lives Matter movement and the corresponding "All Lives Matter" response, stating "All lives do matter. But all lives will not matter until Black lives matter."

Along with the impassioned call for justice, Ben & Jerry's also supported the Voting Rights Act, a voter's rights law repealed in 2013 that made it easier for voters, specifically young voters and voters of color, to have a voice in the election. They endorsed the reinstatement of the act in the only way Ben & Jerry's knows how; a new ice cream flavour complete with a corresponding pun. The ice cream, EmpowerMint, called "a pint for the people," is a peppermint ice cream complete with fudge swirls and brownies. Proceeds from the new ice cream benefit the NAACP.