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Vermont-based ice cream manufacturer Ben & Jerry’s has announced that it is releasing a new frozen confection flavor in honor of NFL player-turned activist Colin Kaepernick and his work in equality and in eradicating police brutality.
In a Thursday press release, the company announced that the new dessert — a non-dairy flavor in an apparent nod to Kaepernick’s veganism — is called “Change the Whirled” and features a caramel sunflower butter base with fudge chips, graham cracker swirls, and chocolate cookie swirls.
The new flavor, according to the company’s release, “celebrates Kaepernick’s courageous work to confront systemic oppression and to stop police violence against black and brown people.”
“Ben & Jerry’s believes Kaepernick represents the very best of us, willing to use his power and platform in the pursuit of equity and justice rooted in a commitment to love and resistance,” a statement from the company revealed.
According to a Thursday report from TMZ, the company added, “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. … We’re proud to be working with a dedicated activist like Colin Kaepernick, whose work helped spark the international conversation around racial justice.”
Kaepernick himself issued a statement on the new flavor and said that he is “honored” to partner with the popular company to debut the flavor.
“Their commitment to challenging the anti-black roots of policing in the United States demonstrates a material concern for the wellbeing of black and brown communities,” Kaepernick said in a statement. “My hope is that this partnership will amplify calls to defund and abolish the police and to invest in futures that can make us safer, healthier, and truly free.”
In case there was any confusion about Ben & Jerry’s stance on police reform, Chris Miller — Ben & Jerry’s head of global activism strategy — told USA Today, “That very much is our approach, this idea we can help normalize and reinforce these ideas to a more mainstream, general population audience. It’s not a particularly radical notion to suggest that police forces and policing probably are not the best way to handling things like mental health crises and substance abuse, and contextualize them for people what a different vision of public safety looks like.”
The flavor will be a full-time flavor and will be available at participating retailers beginning in 2021.
