Shortly after the violent attack at the US Capitol, Ben & Jerry’s spoke out against white supremacy. With Donald Trump leaving and Joe Biden becoming the new president, America is at a very important time in history.
Will America come together to handle the dangerous virus and deep-rooted issues, or will it ignore them?
Even though Ben & Jerry’s just makes ice cream, they’ve always stood out by supporting social justice. Now, they’re telling white people it’s time to take action against white supremacy.
Ben & Jerry’s said on January 11, 2021, that what happened on January 6, 2021, wasn’t a protest but a riot supporting white supremacy. They believe it happened because the rioters were mostly white and faced no consequences.
They contrast this with the successful democratic process that led to the election of the first Black and first Jewish senators from Georgia.
In one part of America, we saw a mostly white mob, encouraged by the president, violently invade our democracy to overturn a fair election. It was like a failed coup, putting our democracy in danger. This has been a reality for Black and Brown people for a long time – facing the tyranny of white supremacy.
How we react to what happened on January 6 will decide which America we become. We must take action, whether it’s resignations, impeachment, or using the 25th Amendment.
Now that President Biden’s administration has started, Jerry Greenfield, one of the founders of the ice cream company, thinks it’s important for the country to look at how the justice system works.
He believes we need to focus on making sure police are accountable for their actions. While police do important work, sometimes they don’t do their job well, and there aren’t consequences for them.
Without accountability, trust between communities and the police won’t improve. Right now, there’s a legal rule called qualified immunity that protects police from being held accountable for their actions.
What are your thoughts on Ben & Jerry’s message to white people to stop white supremacy?