I don't disagree that it can. But I don't think comparing CM to any '50s era civil rights protest is valid due to a couple important differences. American blacks did not have the law on their side. Rosa Parks did not physically impose on anyone on that bus. Those activists resisted unjust laws and sacrificed their personal safety - even lives, in many cases - by inviting law enforcement's brutal reaction in order to garner sympathy from the general white public.

Cyclists already have all the rights of use on the road that motor vehicles do - and many financial advantages, even (e.g. no recurring fees or taxes on bikes, no registration requirements, etc). So the law per se doesn't appear to be the enemy in this scenario. As for whatever stakes cyclists risk, we do so pretty much voluntarily whereas Rosa Parks et al. had no choice over their skin color.