Ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s has unveiled a new activist-oriented flavor called Change Is Brewing with the help of multidisciplinary artist and creative director, Laci Jordan, who designed the container art. Proceeds from the sale of the flavor will partly support Representative Cori Bush‘s The People’s Response Act, which seeks to replace law enforcement with social workers in specific incidents.
Jordan, an Los Angeles-based artist, revealed in an interview with Ben & Jerry’s that the ice cream giant reached out to her for her artistic expertise. “They emailed me, and I was shook because I don’t know, a lot of great things have come across my plate over the years.” She confirmed that she immediately agreed to work with the brand because of what it stands for. “There aren’t a lot of companies at all that are really truly taking a stand and saying things and following it up with action.”
Although the 31-year-old artist doesn’t consider herself an art activist, she does believe her art reflects the times. “I think my art does that, whether it’s something that is rooted in activism, whether it’s something that’s just rooted in existing as a Black woman,” she explains. “Whether it is something that I’m seeing in pop culture, it all reflects what I’m seeing in my everyday life. Since I am a Black woman and I care, I can’t help but create art that is rooted in activism, but for the record, I’m not Laci Luther King!”
Described as “coffee ice cream with marshmallow swirls and fudge, the ice cream’s ingredients were sourced from two Black-owned businesses; BLK & Bold, a nationally distributed coffee company, and Greyston Bakery, a longtime partner of Ben & Jerry’s.
As part of its ongoing efforts to champion racial justice, Ben & Jerry’s is among more than 70 different organizations supporting The People’s Response Act.
The Change is Brewing ice cream is now available in select retail stores across the United States.
