I never thought I’d be taking advice about standing up for my beliefs from my favourite late-night ice cream brand.
Ben & Jerry’s ice cream company, founded in 1978, has been making waves on social media for speaking out about the safety of democracy, sustainability, rights of refugees, racial justice, 2SLGBTQ+ rights, and more. Many people who’ve taken to social media to express their feelings of helplessness and frustration with current affairs are being redirected to Ben & Jerry’s, with the dessert brand’s outspoken activism rare among brands and public figures today.
Ben & Jerry’s is one of the only companies emboldened enough to speak out and practice explicit activism. The ice cream company is a certified B Corp, which means the company meets high standards of performance, ability, and transparency. They purposefully partner with other B Corps like Rhino Foods, which hires and s of the migrant and refugee community.
For Ben & Jerry’s, ice cream and social justice go hand in hand. Through their intersectional activism, Ben & Jerry’s is teaching something quite profound—the value of standing up for what you believe in, especially when you have a platform.
By declaring social change through their company, Ben & Jerry’s is setting an irable example that’s resonating with people, specifically for those expressing frustration online about the re-election of Donald Trump.
The social tensions of Trump’s return as President of the United States has led to concern online, as s are increasingly concerned and seeking solutions as money and power pools into the hands of social media CEO’s like Elon Musk, owner of X (formely Twitter).
Ben & Jerry’s bravery is a stark contrast to the silence from other brands and public figures who seem less emboldened to speak out.
This hesitation and fear of speaking against prominent figures was evident in the reception of Ali Abbasi’s The Apprentice (2024), a film which depicts the corruption of Donald Trump and his cutthroat lawyer Roy Cohn in the 1970s.
Following the film’s release, Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to denounce it as fake, cheap, defamatory and “a politically disgusting hatchet job,” before threatening legal action against the filmmakers. Due to the threats, it was difficult for the film to get a distributor.
Sebastian Stan, the who portrayed Trump, was invited to appear on Variety’s popular segment, “Actors on Actors,” where famous stars, who feature in prominent movies of the year are paired up to talk about their recent roles.
Unfortunately for Stan, he was unable to participate in “Actors on Actors” because no celebrity wanted to be his partner—reportedly out of reluctance to discuss Trump.
It may be a testy subject, but the blatant cowardice of these actors—or rather their publicists and representatives—is striking.
Stan commented on the incident, noting while he’s received praise for the film privately, nobody seems to want to discuss the film publicly. “That’s when I think we lose the situation because if it really becomes that fear or discomfort to talk about [Trump] then we’re really going to have a problem,” Stan told the audience at the film’s premiere.
The more scared people are to speak publicly about what they believe in, the weaker democracy becomes.
The subtle silencing of the US, which is trickling into Canada as well, is what makes Ben & Jerry’s candor so impressive in a culture of fearful public figures.
After ionately protesting Trump’s first term as president with an ice cream flavour called Pecan Resist, Ben & Jerry’s spirit hasn’t backed down. On Jan. 24, they publicly fought back against haters and affirmed their stance against human rights concerns following Trump’s inauguration, and on Jan, 18, they appeared at the 2025 Women’s March in Washington, D.C. to show for women’s rights and oppose divisive rhetoric.
In today’s atmosphere of silence—where many fear saying the wrong thing—it’s a beacon of light to see Ben & Jerry’s, a company that’s worth over a billion dollars, speak out to advocate for progressive social change, even at the risk of being boycotted by bigger bullies who find it threatening.
Their bravery is commendable. I’ll raise my ice cream cone to that.
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