How White Privilege Made Ben & Jerry’s Possible

July 24, 2018

Picture of Ben and Jerry at a podium

Our co-founders, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, have been best friends since seventh grade. They were there for each other through all the ups and downs of middle school, high school, and college—and then they hit on the euphoric idea that changed their lives: they decided to start an ice cream company.

Ben and Jerry will be the first to tell you that they couldn’t have achieved all they achieved without a lot of help along the way. But recently they started thinking about one societal advantage in particular that truly made it all possible: white privilege.

Recognizing White Privilege

What’s white privilege? It’s the reality that no matter what challenges a white person faces in their life, the color of their skin will never be one of them. It’s hard to overstate the power of this truth, and yet it’s often unacknowledged by or invisible to those who benefit from it the most. On April 4, 2018, at the A.C.T. to End Racism Rally in Washington, DC, Jerry and Ben delivered a speech where they explored the role of white privilege in their success. We’re proud to share it with you today.

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