Activism has never tasted so good! As if you need another reason to add a delicious Ben & Jerry’s pint to your grocery basket, the socially-responsible company has just introduced a limited-batch ice-cream called “Pecan Resist”, a play on the “We Can Resist” phrase that so many have us have turned to in this time of political turmoil and division. The flavor that was specifically invented with the purpose of peacefully protesting the Trump administration’s dehumanizing policies.
For those of you who need a refresher course on the retrograde policies enacted by the Trump administration, we direct you to the attempted ban of transgender people from serving in the US military, the policy of separating children from their families at the US-Mexico border, the decree banning the entry of immigrants from many Muslim-majority countries, and most recently, the plan to change the Constitutional guarantee of birthright citizenship by way of executive order.
The flavor is described as “chocolate ice cream with white and dark fudge chunks, pecans, walnuts, and fudge-covered almonds.”
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In a statement from Ben & Jerry’s website the ice cream brand explained that “Together, we can build a more just and equitable tomorrow. We can peacefully resist the Trump administration’s regressive and discriminatory policies and build a future that values inclusivity, equality, and justice for people of color, women, the LGBTQ community, refugees, and immigrants. Pecan Resist supports four organizations that are working on the front lines of the peaceful resistance, building a world that supports their values.”
In tandem with the introduction of “Pecan Resist”, Ben & Jerry’s is donating $25,000 to four different socially-conscious organizations, as mentioned above. The organizations that “Pecan Resist” supports are Color of Change, an organization dedicated to ending the systematic racism that holds black people back, Honor the Earth, an organization created to combating climate change, Neta, a multimedia platform based on the US-Mexico border led by people of color, and last but not least, the Women’s March.
To make this already sweet news even sweeter, the artwork on Pecan Resist was created by talented Latina artist and activist Favianna Rodriguez.
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Rodriguez is a Latina artist known for creating artwork that expresses the beautiful complexity of the Latina experience. In addition, she has also made it her mission to communicate the importance of representation in art. In a powerful Instagram post about her whirlwind few days since “Pecan Resist”‘s rollout, Rodriguez revealed that when she was a kid she “rarely saw images of myself across media and in museums, and that’s exactly WHY I became an artist”. She went on to emphasize the joy she felt over being able to collaborate on the new ice cream brand “To see my art everywhere and to celebrate with my activist community was a true pleasure. I never dreamed this was possible so I’m sitting with this truth.”
We love seeing a Latina artist achieving mainstream success that can be elusive to so many Latinas. Just looking at Favianna’s artwork, we know it is all rightfully deserved!
Naturally, Latinas have taken to Twitter to express their thoughts on the bold new flavor.
Where can I buy in bulk?!?!?? #pecanresist https://t.co/A7H3XfwqDR
— Chrishelena (@misschrishelena) November 1, 2018
Some were humorous.
Others made us feel all the feels.
Hi world,
Ben and Jerry's is joining the resistance.
Yes.
The ice cream company you love is joining the resistance.
Ben Cohen has decided to stop playing neutral.Thank you @benandjerrys!
Thank you.✊#PecanResist https://t.co/eQTLHiK9Lh— Debra E. Fuente (@DebraEF5) November 1, 2018
As it’s a rarity that companies put their money where their mouth is and go out of their way to promote the causes that they say they believe in, we have to give it to Ben & Jerry’s for going the extra mile in the fight towards social justice. Like many of you, we’ll be picking up our $6.99 pint online or at our nearest Ben & Jerry’s scoop shops. This is one sinful treat we’ll feel no guilt about when biting into!
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