Ben & Jerry's partnered with Colin Kaepernick to unveil a vegan ice cream that 'amplifies calls to defund and abolish the police'

• Ben & Jerry's has teamed up with civil rights activist and athlete Colin Kaepernick to unveil a new vegan ice cream flavor that will be available next year.
• The Change the Whirled flavor "celebrates Kaepernick's courageous work to confront systematic oppression and to stop police violence against Black and Brown people," according to the ice cream maker.
• Ben & Jerry's has a history of being vocal on racial, political, and social justice issues in the US.

Ben & Jerry's has teamed up with activist and athlete Colin Kaepernick to unveil a new ice cream flavor, Change the Whirled.

According to Ben & Jerry's, the flavor "celebrates Kaepernick's courageous work to confront systematic oppression and to stop police violence against Black and Brown people."

Like Kaepernick, Change the Whirled is vegan, and has a caramel sunflower butter ice cream base with fudge bits and graham cracker and chocolate cookie swirls. The ice cream will be available early next year, and all of Kaepernick's proceeds will go to the Know Your Rights Camp, a Kaepernick-founded organization with the goal of "advancing the liberation and well-being of Black and Brown communities," according to its website.

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"Ben & Jerry's commitment to challenging the anti-Black roots of policing in the United States demonstrates a material concern for the well-being of Black and Brown communities," Kaepernick said in a statement. "My hope is that this partnership will amplify calls to defund and abolish the police and to invest in futures that can make us safer, healthier, and truly free."

The ice cream will be sold in the US and parts of Europe for between $4.99 to $5.49.

The ice cream giant's history of championing causes

This isn't the first flavor Ben & Jerry's has released with a cause. In 2019, the ice cream maker - which calls itself an "aspiring social justice company" - unveiled its Justice ReMix'd flavor with the goal of bringing attention to criminal justice reform and racial inequality in the US, according to Ben & Jerry's website.

Read more: How Ben & Jerry's embrace of social issues set it apart from the competition, boosted its marketing, and helped it build a positive workplace culture

Ben & Jerry's has also used other avenues besides themed ice cream flavors to express its views on social and racial issues across the country.

In September, the ice cream maker and Vox Media launched the "Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America" podcast that takes a deeper look at racism and white supremacy throughout US history. And following the death of George Floyd, Ben & Jerry's published a statement that was lauded by Twitter users for its length and details.

Last year, Ben & Jerry's also publicly supported H.R. 40 which, if passed, could create the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African-Americans.

"Ben & Jerry's is proud to diversify our flavor portfolio by honoring Kaepernick with a full-time flavor," Ben & Jerry's CEO Matthew McCarthy said in a statement. "We deeply respect how Colin uses his voice to protest racism, white supremacy, and police violence through the belief that 'love is at the root of our resistance.'"