Ben & Jerry’s announced a new ice cream Tuesday called “Change is Brewing” to support the People’s Response Act, which aims to “transform public safety into a system of care rather than criminalization.”
When people dig their spoons into Change is Brewing, they will be treated to cold brew coffee-flavored ice cream with marshmallow swirls and fudge brownie.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Cori Busch of Missouri – who cosponsored the legislation along with U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and U.S.
Rep. Jan Schakowsky of Illinois, also Democrats – was at the launch of the new flavor in Washington D.C. The Movement for Black Lives organization also partnered to create the limited-time-only flavor.
“It’s time to divest from systems that criminalize Black communities [and] invest in a vision of public safety that allows everyone to breathe free,” said Ben & Jerry’s of the collaboration.
If passed, the People’s Change Act would: create a new public safety division within the Department of Health and Human Services to fund non-carceral public safety investments, launch a federal first responders unit to support state and local governments, provide $7.5 billion in grant funding to state and local governments as well as community-based organizations and establish a $2.5 billion First Responder Hiring Grant. People can sign a form supporting the People’s Response Act right on the Ben & Jerry’s website when they look to buy a pint of Change is Brewing.
This is not the first time the Vermont-based business, founded in 1978 by Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, has made a political message with ice cream.
Among their many projects was a 900-pound Baked Alaska made with “Fossil Fuel” ice cream in 2005 to protest proposed oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Just this summer, the company announced it would stop selling its ice cream in Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Ben & Jerry’s ice cream is available at stores such as Walmart and Target.
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