An empty gesture

From the AP:

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The Alabama Legislature gave final approval Monday night to a bill that sets up a process to pardon civil rights icon Rosa Parks and hundreds of others arrested for violating segregation-era laws. ...

Those arrested or family members of those deceased would have to request the pardons. ...

The sponsor of the bill, Rep. Thad McClammy, D-Montgomery, said the bill could lead to pardons for Parks, civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King and hundreds of others convicted of violating laws aimed at keeping the races separate. McClammy said the arrests date back as far as the early 1900s.

I'm sure that this bill was passed with good intentions, but I think Rep. John Rogers was onto something when he noted that "Martin Luther King and the others were arrested with pride."

The laws of Alabama at the time King, Parks, and others were arrested were unjust and applied unfairly. It is precisely because of that injustice that the heroes of the civil rights movement intended to break the law, did break the law, and paid the penalties for breaking the law. Lawbreaking was an essential part of the civil rights struggle, and crucial to its success. That's a part of our history, and although it may be sad in many ways, it's also inspiring. To pardon the lawbreakers now would not only fail to make proper amends for past injustice, but it would also detract from the legacy of the civil rights movement. Why commemorate actions that were so full of meaning with a gesture that is so empty?