Director Ava DuVernay Gets Her Own Ben & Jerry’s Flavor for a Great Cause

Filmmaker Ava DuVernay has achieved plenty of cinematic firsts, including being the first Black woman to take home Best Director honors at Sundance, the first Black woman to direct a film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, and the first Black woman to helm a movie with a budget of over $100 million. Now, she's claiming another – if slightly less flashy – first in the freezer aisle: the first Black woman to have her own Ben & Jerry's ice cream pint.

Ben & Jerry's is launching Lights! Caramel! Action!, a new permanent flavor available in ice cream and almond milk-based non-dairy versions, created with DuVernay's help. The pints will also support her non-profit, ARRAY Alliance.

"Ice cream is a simple joy of life. A comfort food that I've turned to on many days," DuVernay said in the announcement. "Partnering with Ben & Jerry's, a company that I've long admired for their commitment to social justice, has been a thrill ride. I had the opportunity to work with food scientists to create a flavor with all the ingredients that I personally love for a cause close to my heart."

Lights! Caramel! Action! starts as a vanilla base mixed with salted caramel swirls, graham cracker swirls, and gobs of chocolate chip cookie dough. The flavor is slated to ship nationwide next month to both Scoop Shops and retail stores. 

"Beyond being downright delicious, proceeds from Lights! Caramel! Action! will help ARRAY Alliance further its non-profit mission of inclusion and belonging in the film and TV industries," DuVernay continued. "A worthy and delicious endeavor."

"Framing this up as a new flavor for the first Black woman to be a featured partner on our pints doesn't do Ava justice," Matthew McCarthy, Ben & Jerry's CEO, added. "We are humbled by this partnership, impressed by her work sharing not only the struggle but the joy in the justice, and we are inspired by her commitment and vision."

DuVernay joins other celebrities who currently have their face on Ben & Jerry's pints, including Chance the Rapper, Stephen Colbert, and Jimmy Fallon.