Brave Convictions
Two Southern states belatedly pardon civil rights activists.
Friday, June 22, 2007; A18
FIFTY-SIX YEARS later, Lillie Mae Bradford is ready for her pardon.
Ms. Bradford was convicted in Montgomery, Ala., in 1951 of disorderly conduct for walking to the front of a bus -- where blacks were not allowed -- and asking for a bus transfer. The Rosa ParksTennessee, allows civil rights trailblazers such as Ms. Bradford to clear their records. Act, passed last year in Alabama and signed into law this month in
The act pardons individuals convicted of a felony or misdemeanor that occurred while protesting laws meant to maintain racial segregation or discrimination. While many civil rights leaders consider their civil disobedience convictions a badge of honor, others lament the toll the criminal records may have taken on their careers.
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