It was just in time for the Fourth of July: Ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s called on the United States to return what it called “stolen land” to its original owners, the Native Americans.
This 4th of July, it's high time we recognize that the US exists on stolen Indigenous land and commit to returning it. Learn more and take action now: https://t.co/45smaBmORH pic.twitter.com/a6qp7LXUAE
— Ben & Jerry's (@benandjerrys) July 4, 2023
The call by the company, tweeted on America’s Independence Day, stated bluntly, “The United States was founded on stolen indigenous land. This Fourth of July, let’s commit to returning it.”
The company suggested the move begin with Mount Rushmore.
“What is the meaning of Independence Day for those whose land this country stole, those who were murdered and forced with brutal violence on to reservations, those who were pushed from their holy places and denied their freedom.
“The faces on Mount Rushmore are the faces of men who actively worked to destroy Indigenous cultures and ways of life, to deny Indigenous people their basic rights,” the company declared.
Users on the social media site responded by calling for Ben & Jerry’s to give all of its property and land back to the Native Americans “right now,” with several writers urging the company to return its corporate office to the Abenaki people “who have lived in Vermont for 10,000 years.”
“Lead by example,” wrote another. “What locations are you going to give back to the rightful owners of our land?”
Another urged users on the social media site to “Boycott them till they give back the stolen land.”
“Lucky we Jews are indigenous to Israel,” Israeli historian, media analyst and author Yisrael Medad commented. “I wonder to where you guys will have to move.”
