This is one of two stories about the historic signing day. See related story here.

SCOTTSBORO, Alabama - Clarence Norris Jr. was able to fill in some pieces of his childhood this morning when Gov. Robert Bentley signed historic legislation posthumously exonerating the nine young men known as the Scottsboro Boys, one of whom was Norris' father, a man he never knew.

The impact of his father's conviction as a teenager, along with eight fellow passengers on a train in 1931 who were accused of raping two white women, would affect not only the elder Norris but his children, as well.

"It ruined their lives," Norris Jr., reflecting on the fact that his father abandoned the family in 1972 when his mother was pregnant with him. What he knew of his father came from his mom, Hattie Mae Norris Ragin, who called Norris Sr. a "nice man," and history books, which weren't as kind to his dad's memory.

"There was a total injustice done," said Norris Jr.,who came from Macon, Ga., with his mother to attend the signing.

That injustice was righted by Bentley's historic signing this morning of House Joint Resolution 20, which exonerates the nine of any wrongdoing, as well as Senate Bill 97 that allows for the pardon of the eight of the nine young men. Norris Sr., the only one of the nine who was alive at the time, was pardoned by then-Gov. George Wallace in 1976.

Today, he was declared innocent. After signing the exoneration document, Bentley handed the pen he used to Norris Jr., the only Scottsboro Boys descendant in attendance.

"This has been a long time coming," Bentley said before signing the documents. "But it's never too late to do the right thing."

The signing took place at the Scottsboro Boys Museum and Cultural Center, which is housed in Joyce Chapel United Methodist Church and run by Shelia Washington, who led the efforts to get the young men exonerated.

"No longer will we be ashamed to say the case happened here, that the rape took place, but we can say the boys have been pardoned," Washington said. "Textbooks are going to have to be rewritten."

The Scottsboro Boys ranged in age from 13 to 20 when they were accused of rape when the train stopped in Paint Rock and taken to jail in Scottsboro. Some of the boys were friends, others were traveling individually. Some were looking for work. One, who had an IQ of only 64, was seeking medical treatment.

But when Ruby Bates and Victoria Price pointed fingers and said the nine raped them, the "boys" became linked for eternity. The nine were initially convicted by an all-white jury and all but the youngest, Roy Wright, were sentenced to death.

Those convictions were overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, leading to a series of trials that wound through courts for years, with some held in Jackson County and some in Morgan County. One defendant, Haywood Patterson, was tried and convicted four times.

All eventually spent time in jail. Four were paroled in 1937, while others spent longer in prison.

"All of the experts concluded the same thing: That the Scottsboro Boys were wrongly convicted," Bentley said to loud applause.

When asked why it was important to exonerate the boys when they are no longer living, Bentley said: "We need to right the wrongs that have been done in the past. We should never ignore our history. It's important to confront our history and secure justice when we can."

A historic event

The event was ceremonial because Bentley signed the official bill last week so it would be filed by the deadline on April 11. Senate Bill 97, sponsored by Rep. Laura Hall, D-Huntsville, and Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, does not provide an immediate pardon for the young men who were convicted. By signing the bill into law, Bentley paved the way for the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles to act.

Orr, who spoke before the signing, said it is a solemn but joyful day.

"Our state is a different state than it was 80 years ago, or 50 years ago, or 40 years ago," he said. "We still have miles to go before we sleep, as the poet said, but we can learn from this event."

Hall looked out at the crowd filling the pews - which included young and old, black and white, male and female - and smiled.

"Look at this room," she said. "We are a diverse community in this room. That would not have happened 80 years ago."

House Joint Resolution 20, which exonerates the Scottsboro Boys of any wrongdoing, was introduced by two Jackson County legislators because a pardon is a "forgiveness of an offense" and not a declaration of innocence. Rep. John Robinson, D-Scottsboro, and Sen. Shadrack McGill, R-Scottsboro, sponsored HJR 20.

Shelia Washington led efforts to pass the legislation, which was written by Dr. Ellen Spears of the University of Alabama, attorney John Miller and Tom Reidy.

Guest speaker Catherine Schreiber, producer of the musical "The Scottsboro Boys," said the Scottsboro Boys case changed many lives but also changed the court system and inspired authors such as Harper Lee to write "To Kill a Mockingbird."

She quoted lyrics from a song written for the musical, which is sung by the actor portraying Haywood Patterson.

"Maybe times will turn

I pray so

Maybe someday

I'll get lucky

Someone's gonna say

All right, son

Take the train

And go back home

Hop a freight and go back home."

"Today," Schreiber said, "Haywood Patterson is finally free to go back home."