(February 5, 2024 / JNS) The man who helped Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. write the “I Have a Dream” speech will appear in a million-dollar Super Bowl commercial from Robert Kraft’s foundation to combat antisemitism.
The organisation, founded by the New England Patriots owner, purchased a 30-second advertisement for the Super Bowl that will include lawyer and speechwriter Clarence B. Jones, who once counselled King.
In a statement Kraft said:“With the horrific rise in Jewish hate and all hate across our nation, we must stand up and take urgent action now,”
“For the first time, FCAS will air an emotive ad during the Super Bowl, football’s ultimate championship game which brings people of all backgrounds together, to showcase examples of how people can #StandUptoJewishHate and inspire more people to join the fight against all hate.”
Kraft founded the group after winning the 2019 Genesis prize, and has regularly run public awareness campaigns in the US to highlight
Earlier this week, the group released a video of Kraft calling Jones to inform him of the commercial’s placement during the game. After telling him the news, Jones responded: “You know what? You know how to make a 93-year-old man cry.” Choking up, Jones said, “Martin would have loved you.”
In a 2007 interview, Jones said that “except for Abraham Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, Martin Luther King Jr., in 12 years and four months from 1956 to 1968, did more to achieve political, economic and social justice in America than any other event or person in the previous 400 years.”
In December, Kraft’s foundation received a $100 million donation that Kraft matched with a $100 million gift. Advertising slots at the Superbowl are some of the most expensive ads sold in American media, with advertisers paying millions to be highlighted during the game, which is set to be viewed by more than 110 million Americans.
