We didn’t know the Smithsonian Institution lent its treasures to for-profit organizations, but Ben & Jerry’s ice cream factory in Waterbury, Vt., is marking the 50th anniversary of the 1968 Poor People’s Campaign with a special display from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. The ice cream factory is Vermont’s largest, single tourist attraction, receiving almost 400,000 people a year.
On Friday, June 22, Ben & Jerry’s Co-Founder Jerry Greenfield dropped the curtain on a new display depicting Dr. King’s 1968 Poor People’s Campaign against racism, poverty, and militarism. “These issues are as pressing today as they were 50 years ago,” said Ben & Jerry’s CEO Jostein Solheim. “We’re hoping these images will inspire people to join the Poor People’s Campaign for racial and economic justice.”
The obvious point is that if Ben & Jerry’s can get an exhibit from the Smithsonian, you should be able to do so, too.