Ben & Jerry’s takes a stand for #BlackLivesMatter

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Ben & Jerry’s has taken a stand on its website for Black Lives Matter, writing an entire piece explaining “Why Black Lives Matter.”

“All lives do matter. But all lives will not matter until Black lives matter,” the ice cream company says in the well-written and well-explained piece inviting people to “join us in not being complicit.”

“Black lives matter,” the company declares, adding, “They matter because they are children, brothers, sisters, mothers, and fathers. They matter because the injustices they face steal from all of us — white people and people of color alike. They steal our very humanity.”

“Systemic and institutionalized racism are the defining civil rights and social justice issues of our time. We’ve 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 piece then explains that their declaration is not anti-police, saying, “We want to be clear: we believe that saying Black lives matter is not to say that the lives of those who serve in the law enforcement community don’t. We respect and value the commitment to our communities that those in law enforcement make, and we respect the value of every one of their lives.”

“But we do believe that — whether Black, brown, white, or blue — our nation and our very way of life is dependent on the principle of all people being served equal justice under the law. And it’s clear, the effects of the criminal justice system are not color blind.”

They end with a call to action: “We ask people to be open to understanding these issues, and not to reflexively retreat to our current beliefs. 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.”

Check out the entire piece here and celebrate #BenandJerrysNewFlavor: “Hands up, don’t scoop.”