Ad Using MLK Speech Was Approved, But Not By Entire King Family
This file photo provided by Ram Truck Brand shows a scene from the company’s Super Bowl spot. The Ram truck ad that used a speech by Martin Luther King, Jr., is drawing a backlash.
Ram Truck Brand via AP, File
A Super Bowl ad for Ram trucks that featured the voice of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is showing the divide between King’s children when it comes to representing his legacy.
The ad features people performing acts of service set against King’s words. It comes months before the 50th anniversary of King’s assassination.
In Twitter posts Sunday night, King’s daughter, Bernice King, and the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change, founded by Coretta Scott King said permission to use King’s voice would not have come from them.
Neither @TheKingCenter nor @BerniceKing is the entity that approves the use of #MLK’s words or imagery for use in merchandise, entertainment (movies, music, artwork, etc) or advertisement, including tonight’s @Dodge #SuperBowl commercial.
— The King Center (@TheKingCenter) February 5, 2018
King later tweeted a link to the full speech excerpted in the ad.
Here is #DrumMajorInstinct in its entirety. Learn about #MLK from him. Please listen to/read his speeches, sermons and writings. Understand his comprehensive teachings and his global perspective. Study his nonviolent philosophy. It’s more than a tactic. https://t.co/56fiF8r6iP
— Be A King (@BerniceKing) February 5, 2018
The entity that manages King’s intellectual property, Intellectual Property Management, is run by his son, Dexter King. It says it approved the ad.
“We found that the overall message of the ad embodied Dr. King’s philosophy that true greatness is achieved by serving others. Thus we decided to be a part of Ram’s ‘Built To Serve’ Super Bowl program,” said Eric Tidwell, managing director of the firm, in a statement.
To create the spot, Fiat Chrysler, which owns the Ram brand, says it worked with the King estate to get the necessary approvals.
In a statement, the company also said “estate representatives were a very important part of the creative process every step of the way.”
King’s children have often been at odds about their father’s legacy.
A disagreement about selling King’s 1964 Nobel Peace Prize medal ended up in court and was eventually settled with the help of former President Jimmy Carter.
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