Ben & Jerry’s faced massive backlash for its anti-American Fourth of July post. The company took to its social media platforms to accuse the United States, on Independence Day, of being built upon the genocide of Native Americans.
In the post, Ben & Jerry’s stated, “This 4th of July, it’s high time we recognize that the US exists on stolen Indigenous land and commit to returning it. Learn more and take action now.” They shared a link to a website that presented a false narrative of historical facts, which some argue significantly downplayed the complexities of Native American history and their own conflicts.
The statement ignited a strong reaction from individuals who felt it was an inappropriate and divisive way to address the holiday.
Ben & Jerry’s also expressed support for the Land Back movement, which advocates for the return of tribal lands to Indigenous communities. The movement aims to address historical injustices by seeking to allocate territories based on ancestral claims from centuries ago, potentially resulting in the fragmentation of the United States.
“Why are we talking about this? Because on the Fourth of July many people in the US celebrate liberty and independence—our country’s and our own,” they said.
“But what is the meaning of Independence Day for those whose land this country stole, those who were murdered and forced with brutal violence onto reservations, those who were pushed from their holy places and denied their freedom?” the company continued. “The faces on Mount Rushmore are the faces of men who actively worked to destroy Indigenous cultures and ways of life, to deny Indigenous people their basic rights.”
Ben & Jerry’s actions undermine the historical legacy of U.S. presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. These presidents are prominently depicted on Mount Rushmore, symbolizing their contributions to the nation’s history.
However, the irony is that Ben & Jerry’s corporate headquarters is located on “stolen” land that originally belonged to Native American tribes.
“A Native American tribe that originally controlled the land in Vermont that Ben & Jerry’s headquarters is located on wants land returned to them after the company publicly called for “stolen” lands to be returned,” Ari Ingel of Newsweek tweeted.
Don Stevens, Chief of the Nulhegan Band of The Coosuk Abenaki Nation, a recognized tribe in Vermont, has pointed out the hypocrisy in Ben & Jerry’s statement.
In an interview with the New York Post, Don Stevens expressed his openness to discussing how Ben & Jerry’s could better support Indigenous peoples. He proposed that this conversation could start by examining the company’s own headquarters, which is situated at 30 Community Dr. in South Burlington, Vermont, on historically Western Abenaki land.
“If you look at the [Abenaki] traditional way of being, we are place-based people. Before recognized tribes in the state, we were the ones who were in this place,” said Stevens.
“If the ice cream maker is ‘sincere,’ it should reach out to me,” he said.
According to the New York Post, Unilever, the parent company of Ben & Jerry’s, saw a decline in stock price and market capitalization following their ridiculous tweet. Within two days after the tweet, Unilever’s stock price fell by 1.9 percent, resulting in a market cap loss of $1.7 billion.
Twitter users swiftly pointed out the hypocrisy of Ben & Jerry’s and called for the company to lead by example in the restitution of land.
It’s worth saying again, the American people do not need these woke companies… they need us, specifically our money. We can easily and very quickly starve them out, like we have done to Bud Light.
