Ben & Jerry s thumbs nose at NFL with Colin Kaepernick advertisements near Super Bowl site
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FILE - In this Nov. 16, 2019, file photo, free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick arrives for a workout for NFL football scouts and media in Riverdale, Ga.Todd Kirkland / Associated Press
Ben & Jerry s, the ice cream brand that has developed a reputation for being outspokenly progressive on social issues, is thumbing its nose at the NFL by putting up a mural and a billboard in Tampa Bay the site of this weekend s Super Bowl LV that advertise its new Colin Kaepernick-themed flavor.
The Change the Whirled flavor (which is non-dairy because Kaepernick is a vegan), debuted in December to fawning reviews from the Today show and soccer star Megan Rapinoe. Ben & Jerry s entered into the venture following the killing of George Floyd and the ensuing protests in the summer of 2020.
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Colin Kaepernick, Ben & Jerry’s team for West Tampa mural supporting social justice
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The image of controversial quarterback Colin Kaepernick now appears on a massive mural in West Tampa that supports his fight for social justice. The mural was unveiled Wednesday as Tampa gets ready to host the Super Bowl on Sunday.
LISTEN: Artist Brandan “BMike” Odums stands in front of his “Change the Whirled” mural in West Tampa. The mural, a collaboration between Ben & Jerry’s and Colin Kaepernick’s know Your Rights Camp celebrates the fight for social justice. Daniel Figueroa IV/WMNF
Chelsey Ramirez stands barely five-feet tall. But now the 13-year-old Stewart Middle Magnet seventh grader’s likeness, all 30-feet of it, will look over the West Tampa neighborhood she calls home.
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The 30′ x 90′ mural on Moses White Blvd. features portraits of Tampa youth alongside Know Your Rights Camp (KYRC) volunteers. The artwork depicts a young person wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with an image of the freedom fighter and former San Francisco 49er raising his fist. Others on the mural are wearing shirts proclaiming “I KNOW MY RIGHTS,” a reference to Know Your Rights Camp, the non-profit Kaepernick founded in 2016 to empower and liberate Black and Brown people. The mural was developed in collaboration with artist-activist Brandan “BMike” Odums, KYRC, and Ben & Jerry’s. Ben & Jerry’s funded the mural as part of its Change the Whirled collaboration with Kaepernick and KYRC.