The American ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s is known for promoting its progressive political views in the freezers of supermarkets across the country.
In 2009, proceeds from the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavor Yes Pecan! — a pun on Barack Obama’s campaign tagline Yes, We Can! — went to the Common Cause Education Fund, which encourages US citizens to participate in politics. And in 2018, the company packed pints of Pecan Resist to protest Donald Trump’s policies across the board “on women, immigrants, people of color, and the environment.”
This week Ben & Jerry’s is applauding Democratic Governor Wes Moore of Maryland, who they say “got it right” when he pardoned 175,000 convictions for possession of cannabis and drug paraphernalia.
Today, I pardoned 175,000 convictions for possession of cannabis and drug paraphernalia. It is the largest such action in our nation’s history.
We cannot celebrate the benefits of legalization without addressing the consequences of criminalization. Maryland will lead by example. pic.twitter.com/4xBlZ293k4
— Governor Wes Moore (@GovWesMoore) June 17, 2024
Moore said at his press conference: “We cannot celebrate the benefits of legalization if we do not address the consequences of criminalization.” Ben & Jerry’s responded by writing: “We call on other Governors to follow his lead.”
My favorite ice cream is vanilla with Berger cookie dough and peanut butter, in case you’ve got room for a ‘We Want Moore’ flavor https://t.co/MBOochLm60
— Governor Wes Moore (@GovWesMoore) June 17, 2024
Governor Moore replied to the shout-out from Ben & Jerry’s and suggested a new ice cream flavor in his honor. He wrote: “My favorite ice cream is vanilla with Berger cookie dough and peanut butter, in case you’ve got room for a ‘We Want Moore’ flavor.”
Note: Berger Cookies — which are “a soft, cake like cookie covered with delicious hand-dipped fudge icing” — are made in Baltimore, Maryland’s largest city.