On July 4th, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenwood, founders of the ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s, incited controversy with a tweet demanding the restoration of “stolen indigenous land” in the United States, specifically demanding that Mount Rushmore be returned to the Lakota Sioux tribe. Many people criticized the tweet as being anti-American on a day designed to celebrate the country, leading to the #boycottbenandjerrys hashtag rising on social media when it was tweeted from the company’s official account and garnered reaction.
Dissatisfaction with the tweet was voiced by several commenters. Some have drawn parallels between this and an earlier Bud Light collaboration with a transgender influencer that was a financial disaster for the brewery. On the occasion of Independence Day, another poster called for a boycott of Ben & Jerry’s, accusing the company of fostering division and hatred amongst Americans. Others have pointed out the apparent absurdity of the company’s factories being located on possibly contested territory, while others have attacked the company’s treatment of the cows used in the ice cream production.
Ben & Jerry’s has a history of working with progressive organizations and supporting left-leaning causes. The tweet referenced a company blog post that provided greater context for the corporation’s position and explained why the Lakota Sioux should be given back Mount Rushmore. They referred to treaties and a Supreme Court ruling that established the tribe’s ownership of the land as sacrosanct.
The ice cream maker has declared its backing for the Land Back Movement, which works to end injustice and restore Indigenous people’s rights and freedoms. The blog highlighted Ben & Jerry’s support for social justice initiatives.
Under CEO Dave Stever and current owner Unilever, Ben & Jerry’s has maintained its activist stance. Stephen Colbert, Colin Kaepernick, Megan Rapinoe, and Cori Bush (a U.S. representative) are just a few of the notable people the organization has worked with. Supporters of police reform, racial justice, and LGBTQ rights, among others, have been honored with flavor releases in their honor. In 2021, the company made headlines when it declared it will stop selling in certain places, notably the West Bank, due to perceived value discrepancies.
Ben & Jerry’s has renamed flavors and run campaigns in the past to bring attention to causes including prison reform and opposition to the Trump government. Since the company’s inception, when its founders backed Bernie Sanders’s presidential campaigns, the company’s activism and alliances have been central to its brand.