The blackballed NFL quarterback who was just weirdly honored by the NFL as a trailblazer in a video montage during a Monday Night Football game, announced today that he’s teamed up with @BenAndJerrys on a new non-dairy flavor that hits the taste buds with a mouth-watering dose of social justice and racial equality.
I’ve teamed up with @BenAndJerrys to serve up joy on the journey to justice!
Today, we're excited to introduce Change the Whirled, a new non-dairy flavor that hits shelves in early-2021!
100% of my proceeds will go to @yourrightscamp with matching support from Ben & Jerry's pic.twitter.com/OouYwUXPXK
— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) December 10, 2020
The package features former San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick with an afro, raising his fist and the slogan: “I Know My Rights” emblazoned on Kap’s shirt. There’s also a picture of a crown within quotation marks, signifying Kapernick’s status as a king.
Kaepernick continues the fight for the change that he sparked in 2016 when he kneeled during the national anthem to bring attention to social injustice, police brutality and systemic racism following the 2015 police killing of Mario Woods.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has acknowledged the league’s mistakes in dealing with Kap, but the owners refuse to hire him.
READ MORE: Roger Goodell Admits NFL Was “Wrong” For Not Listening to Players’ Race Concerns
Each week, the “Monday Night Football” crew highlights an NFL trailblazer whose actions have brought change to the league and world. On Monday, Colin Kaepernick was selected for the honor.
WATCH: NFL MNF VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS KAEPERNICK AS TRAILBLAZER
Much of his early critics have done a complete 360 and some corporations and institutions have the guts to acknowledge him as a hero. Even before the George Floyd killing sparked a racial reckoning in America and across the globe, Ben & Jerry’s has been on the right side, listing social justice as one of the major issues the company cares about, then going out and backing up those words by speaking out against White Supremacy.
Having this unique understanding with people has benefitted the ice cream king tremendously.
Racial unrest spurred many companies to speak up, on social media, in emails, and elsewhere over the past two weeks. For some brands, it was new territory. But for Ben & Jerry’s, speaking out about White supremacy and other social justice issues is essential to its business. In its “Silence is not an option” message, Ben & Jerry’s issues four policy-oriented calls to action, reflecting its decades of advocacy work, which they followed-up with 12 Ways You Can Help Eradicate White Supremacy.
Since its founding in 1978 as a scoop shop in Burlington, Vermont, Ben & Jerry’s has grown to become the top-ranked U.S. ice cream brand with products distributed in 38 countries around the globe. At the same time, founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield built on the company’s three-part mission—economic, social, product—that aims to create linked prosperity for everyone connected to the business. Through the years, Ben & Jerry’s has found that its work on progressive issues—including racial justice, environment, and refugees—leads to greater customer loyalty and a stronger bond with employees and business partners.
Teaming up with Kaepernick to create his own ice cream brand is Ben & Jerry’s way of proving once again to be true allies of the fight against racism in America.
