ABSTRACT
On March 29, 1960, a full-page ad appeared in the New York Times requesting donations to the “Committee to Defend Martin Luther King and the Struggle for Freedom in the South.” Written more like a news story than a traditional advertisement, the ad had a headline that read “Heed Their Rising Voices.” The ad claimed to describe the plight of African-American students in the southern United States and the denial of rights suffered by black people. It appealed for donations to support the students, the right to vote, and Dr. King’s legal defense in Montgomery, Ala., on charges of perjury. The ad was then “signed” as a petition might be by 64 prominent citizens.1
