Ben & Jerry’s announced a new flavor of ice cream called Empower Mint on Tuesday at North Carolina Central University.  The ice cream makers have partnered with the North Carolina NAACP.

North Carolina NAACP President William Barber was joined by Ben & Jerry’s founders, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield.

The goal of Empower Mint ice cream is to raise “awareness about the divide between two connected issues: the movement to expand voter rights and the movement to get money out of the political process.”  According to a release, North Carolina was chosen “because of the regressive voting laws that have endangered access to democracy for all.”

In 2013, the North Carolina General Assembly passed a law that requires voters to present an approved identification card.  The law also includes provisions that eliminated same-day registration on Election Day and pre-registration for teenagers.

From Ben & Jerry’s:

“Democracy is in your hands! This fudge-filled flavor reflects our belief that voting gives everyone a taste of empowerment, & that an election should be more ‘by the people’ and less ‘buy the people.’ We all deserve an equal serving of democracy.”

Rev. Barber told the crowd gathered at the event, “They may have the money, but we have the movement.”

Empower Mint ice cream features peppermint ice cream with fudge brownies and fudge swirls. A portion of the proceeds will go to the North Carolina NAACP.

 

 

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