Add Ben & Jerry’s to the list of companies willing to take a chance on Colin Kaepernick before an NFL team.
Today the ice cream artisans announced a new flavor brought to you by Kaepernick, who is still a free agent while 41-year-old Josh McCown just signed with the Texans. But Kaep’s not in the league because he’s just not good enough, right? Anyway …
The “Change the Whirled” non-dairy dessert fits Kaepernick’s vegan diet and is topped with fudge, graham crackers, and chocolate chip cookies and… I’m getting hungry.
Kaepernick’s portion of the proceeds will go to Know Your Rights Camp, the organization he founded that aims to educate and empower Black and Brown communities and cultivate a new generation of racial justice leaders.
“We’re proud to be working with a dedicated activist like Colin Kaepernick, whose work helped spark the international conversation around racial justice.” Ben & Jerry’s said in a statement.
It’s no secret the Vermont ice cream company is very progressive. In June, while most corporations were posting black squares on their social media feeds, Ben & Jerry’s tweeted about defunding the police. They also wrote about it extensively on their website.
Other issues the company publicly supports are; GMO labeling, criminal justice reform, climate justice, LGBT equality, fair trade, peacebuilding, rBGH, democracy, getting the “dough” out of politics, and welcoming refugees.
The ice cream famously has celebrities, musicians, and politicians on their pints. Jimmy Fallon has a flavor, so does Stephen Colbert. The late Jerry Garcia, from the Grateful Dead, has Cherry Garcia, while “Phish Food” is one of the brand’s most popular pints. Vermont politicians Bernie Sanders and Howard Dean have also had flavors of their own.
Kaepernick will join the ranks of these mainstream names. Even though the 33-year-old QB is being blackballed by the league, Ben & Jerry’s has declared him still marketable to a large swath of the country. No kidding — he had the top jersey sales in his last year in the NFL. And after singing with Nike in 2018, the company’s stock price hit an all-time high.
Good luck burning ice cream, haters.