Update: Uh oh! The Henry campaign has already scrubbed the Web version of the ad. Is it still on the radio or did they pull that too?

Troy Henry has a new web video and radio ad that uses the voice and image of the Rev. Martin Luther King. Henry ties his personal success in business to the civil rights movement and the sacrifices of  King. The web ad intersperses images of King standing with the candidate’s grandfather, civil-rights and organized-labor leader Clarence “Chink” Henry.

Henry adds a disclaimer:

“The photographs displayed are not meant to be an endorsement of the candidate, but a historical tribute to progress made by our predecessors.”

King’s family has always discouraged the use of his image in campaign ads. I called the King Center, founded by Coretta Scott King, in Atlanta to promote and protect her late husband’s legacy, and talked with spokesman Steve Klein.

“We certainly discourage the use of Dr. King’s image and voice for any political purposes. This is not the worst we’ve come across, as the ad is framed as a tribute and because at least the online ad includes a disclaimer. It’s pretty cheesy but we’ve seen cheesier.”

Check out the web ad. I’m not sure the radio version contains any disclaimer.

Troy Henry Tribute to Dr. King from Troy Henry Campaign on Vimeo.