Ben & Jerry’s New Podcast Stirs Up a Crucial Recipe of Activism, Art, and Culture
Ben & Jerry’s, an ice cream company known for advocacy work on issues ranging from criminal justice reform to refugee rights, today gave the scoop on its newest project: a podcast to inspire the next wave of activists and artists around the world.
The show, titled Into the Mix: A Ben & Jerry’s Podcast About Joy & Justice is hosted by New York Times best-selling author Ashley C. Ford and features prominent cultural figures reflecting on how they’ve used their influence to champion social change.
The first episode has singer-activist John Legend breaking down racism in the criminal justice system, the importance of voting rights, his history of social activism, and his current efforts to dismantle structural racism at the local level.
Speaking on the relationship between artists and activists, John Legend shared, “Artists should be part of the imagination of the future; imagining a better world and creating art that shows people that.”
The podcast is being brought to life by Vox Media’s award-winning brand studio Vox Creative, with production by Black-owned ABF Creative.
“Successful movements for social change have never just been about good ideas and good policy,” said Chris Miller, Global Head of Activism Strategy at Ben & Jerry’s.
“Historically–from the abolitionist movement, to the modern civil rights movement, the anti-Vietnam war movement, and Occupy Wall Street—music and art were woven into the fabric of these efforts. This podcast celebrates the intersection of activism, art and culture, which can be described as the joy on the long journey to justice.”
Into the Mix follows the success of Ben & Jerry’s first standalone podcast, a six-episode series titled Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America, hosted by Jeffery Robinson. Who We Are showcased the hidden ways legal discrimination and state-sanctioned brutality continues to impact Black Americans. The show earned a place on Apple’s top 100 list of podcasts and the top 10 history podcast list.
Into the Mix is free for listeners to stream on their favourite podcast app. Future guests will include environmentalist Bill McKibben and singer-poet-activist Patti Smith.
To check out the episodes, head to: https://www.vox.com/c/ad/22855989/ben-jerrys-into-the-mix-podcast
