Mural honoring Colin Kaepernick unveiled in Florida
The street art also serves as an advertisement for Ben & Jerry’s new ice cream inspired by the former NFLer
Ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s unveiled a mural of Colin Kaepernick in Old West Tampa on Thursday, ahead of this weekend’s Super Bowl LV.
The mural is part of a collaboration with Kaepernick’s Know Your Rights Camp nonprofit, and dedicated to the former NFLer’s social justice activism.
Located in a historically Black neighborhood, the 30-by-90-foot mural features portraits of local youth alongside Know Your Rights Camp staff. The street art also serves as an advertisement for Ben & Jerry’s new Kaepernick-inspired flavor, Sports Illustrated reports.
Read More: Colin Kaepernick bashes NFL for empty ‘propaganda’ on social justice
“As we look back, it’s clear that Colin was on the right side of history,” said Chris Miller, Ben & Jerry’s head of global activism, in a statement. “His pre-game protests were before George Floyd’s murder; before the 2020 summer of racial reckoning. He knew a long time ago that we need to address the root causes of racism and the structures of our society that are so brutal to Black people. We wanted to be part of the effort to honor Colin’s courage and legacy because we share the same values.”
The company collaborated on the mural with artist-activist Brandan “BMike” Odums and KYRC — check it out via the Twitter video above.
Odums, a friend of Kaepernick, also helped design the ice cream flavor. theGRIO previously reported that the vegan non-dairy frozen dessert was inspired by Kap’s commitment to social and racial justice in this country.
The official statement from Ben & Jerry’s reads, “We are so inspired by Colin Kaepernick’s bold activism for racial justice that we did what we do best: We whipped up a euphoric flavor to honor his work.” They later go on to explain, “Change The Whirled Non-Dairy is made with sunflower butter and is 100% certified vegan, just like Kaepernick himself. And Kaepernick’s portion of the proceeds go to Know Your Rights Camp, an organization he founded to empower Black and Brown youth and elevate the voices of the next generation of racial justice leaders.”
Read More: Ben & Jerry’s, Colin Kaepernick launch ‘Change the Whirled’ ice cream
Ben & Jerry’s has reportedly installed billboards advertising the new flavor in Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, Miami, San Francisco, Atlanta and Baltimore.
The company is no stranger to social and political activism. Ben & Jerry’s has been vocal in their anti-racism efforts, and this past September they launched Who We Are: A Chronicle Of Racism In America.
Meanwhile, Kaepernick has not played in the NFL since the 2016 season, prompting him to sue the league for conspiring to keep him out of football. He settled with the NFL in 2019 for under $10 million, according to reports.
Super Bowl LV will go down Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET on CBS, with the Kansas City Chiefs set to face off with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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