Here is a thank you letter to Jerry Greenfield, inspired by the recent news of his departure and his lasting impact on Ben & Jerry’s and its social mission, from all of us at ncrnow.ca/
Dear Jerry,
Thank you for proving that conscience can live inside capitalism, even if it never fits comfortably there. From the beginning, you showed the world that a company could sell ice cream and still stand against oppression, that a brand could be profitable and principled at once. You treated business not as a vehicle for endless growth, but as a platform for justice.
While most corporations wrapped themselves in hollow slogans, you used Ben & Jerry’s to speak hard truths. You called out racial injustice when it was still considered “too political” for brands. You stood with LGBTQ+ communities when doing so risked backlash. You fought for climate action, prison reform, peace, and Palestinian human rights, knowing it would make you enemies among the powerful. You didn’t just raise awareness; you disrupted complacency.
And when the pressure came to abandon that mission, when Unilever tried to water down your values and strip away your voice, you did something rare. You walked away rather than betray what mattered. That was not a business decision. That was an act of resistance. It told every activist, every worker, and every young person watching that principles mean nothing if they collapse under profit’s weight.
Too many companies build empires on silence. You chose solidarity. You showed us that real corporate responsibility is not about press releases, but about risking something for the sake of justice. That matters. It matters to every community whose struggle you amplified, and to every person fighting despair who needed proof that conscience can still win.
Thank you for showing us what it looks like to stand firm, even when the cost is high. Thank you for reminding us that the fight for a just world must be waged everywhere—on the streets, in the courts, and yes, even in the ice cream aisle.
In solidarity,
Julia Lucio
For context, I leave you with Jerry’s Post
