Ben & Jerry's Is Sponsoring A Political Protest That Could Win You Free Ice Cream For A Year
Ben & Jerry's ice cream has long advocated for human rights, the environment, and social justice. The brand's co-founders, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, were even arrested during a pro-democracy demonstration outside the U.S. Capitol in 2016.
Now, the duo is asking that fans assist in another demonstration. (And you could win free ice cream for a year if you participate!)
In partnership with the advocacy group MoveOn, the Vermont-based creamery is selling $15 rubber stamps with the message "Stamp Money Out of Politics" to use on dollar bills on January 21 — the anniversary of the Citizens United Supreme Court decision, which gave corporations and unions the power to spend unlimited sums of money on political ads and other campaigning tools.
"As we reflect on the past year of the Trump administration, including the recent passage of the GOP's terrible tax scam, one thing is very clear: Now more than ever, it's Big Money vs. the rest of us," Cohen and Greenfield said in a statement. "As we face another year with Trump in the White House, it is now more important than ever before that we stand up for (and stamp!) our beliefs, visibly and often."
The company is hoping that stampers will mark 2 million bills, which are expected to stay in circulation for two and a half years. Nearly 3,300 people have already committed to stamping 1.4 million bills in the week leading up to January 21.
"Because it's Big Money that wrote that outrageous tax bill. It's Big Money that's behind opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling," the co-founders' statement continued. "Big Money tried to kick tens of millions of Americans off of health care. Big Money just rolled back Net Neutrality."
Anyone interested in ordering a stamp must do so before January 10. Each individual who purchases the item will be entered for a chance to win free ice cream for a full year, which amounts to approximately 52 pints. That's a lot of Phish Food!
For more on the politically active fan-favorite dessert line, here are 11 things you didn't know about Ben & Jerry's.