Chance the Rapper Backs Ben & Jerry’s After Jerry Quits Over Disagreement With Parent Co.: ‘I’m Not Heartbroken, I’m Galvanized’

Chance the Rapper has always led with his heart, and his conscience. Which explains why the Chicago MC released a strongly worded statement on Wednesday (Sept. 17) in support of Jerry Greenfield — one half of the founding duo behind beloved ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s — after Greenfield announced his departure from the Burlington, Vt.-founded company after 47 years due to a conflict with its parent company.

“Ben & Jerry’s is the only major company I know of that has repeatedly lobbied for Black American Reparations,” wrote Chance on X of the company’s support of a 2019 congressional bill calling for a commission to study and develop a proposal for the African-Americans Act. “Two older men with access who have no incentive other than justice, are now being punished and silenced for their unwavering support of Palestine. I’m not heartbroken, im galvanized. We continue to fight the good fight,” Chance added, ending his post with a power fist emoji.

The show of support from Chance came after co-founder Ben Cohen posted his friend and business partner Greenfield’s lengthy leave-taking note, citing his “difficult decision” to step down from the company they built together from a single scoop shop in Burlington to a beloved global brand. “His legacy deserves to be true to our values, not silenced by @MagnumGlobal #FreeBenAndJerrys,” Cohen added.

“It’s with a broken heart that I’ve decided I can no longer, in good conscience, and after 47 years, remain an employee of Ben & Jerry’s,” Greenfield wrote in the message, calling the move “one of the hardest and most painful decisions I’ve ever made.”

Greenfield said he was stepping down because he believes the independence he and Cohen previously felt to advocate for the many social issues they have supported over the years had been dismissed by Unilever, the British parent company that bought the brand in 2000 and which had promised to allow Ben & Jerry’s to continue its tradition of engaging in its social justice endeavors. The move comes as Unilever is planning to spin off some of its ice cream brands, including Magnum and Ben & Jerry’s.

Specifically, his resignation follows months of complaints from both men, and Ben & Jerry’s independent board, that Unilever was allegedly blocking their politically-charged posts and attempts to speak out on about Israel’s devastating war in Gaza. The New York Times reported that last year Ben & Jerry’s sued Unilever amid accusations that it was trying to prevent the company’s independent board from calling for a cease-fire in the Gaza war, a claim Unilever rejected.

The paper also reported that in 2021, Ben & Jerry’s announced it would end sales in the Israeli-occupied territories, calling it “inconsistent” with the company’s values and that in May, Cohen was arrested after he interrupted a Senate committee hearing to protest Congress’s funding for Israel’s military as it wages it’s ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza.

Greenfield said that over the past 20 years, Ben & Jerry’s has, “stood up and spoke out in support of peace, justice and human rights, not as abstract concepts, but in relation to real events happening in our world.” He said that ability to speak their minds was part of the unique merger deal struck with Unilever that “enshrined our social mission and values in the company’s governance structure in perpetuity. It’s profoundly disappointing to come to the conclusion that that independence, the very basis of our sale to Unilever, is gone.”

He continued, saying that this apparent split has come at a time when “our country’s current administration is attacking civil rights, voting rights, the rights of immigrants, women, and the LGBTQ community. Standing up for the values of justice, equity, and our shared humanity has never been more important, and yet Ben & Jerry’s has been silenced, sidelined for fear of upsetting those in power.”

Chance, who recently rocked a “F–k ICE” chain in an apparent comment on the Trump administration’s immigration raids in Los Angeles, teamed up with Ben & Jerry’s in 2023 for his own bespoke flavor, Mint Chocolate Chance, a mash-up of mint chocolate chip ice cream and brownie bits inspired by his mom, Lisa Bennett.

See Chance and Greenfield’s statements below.