My father, Martin Luther King Jr., led us toward freedom. Supreme Court now stands in our way.

Sixty years ago, my father marched for freedom and equality. Martin Luther King Jr. led a generation of civil rights activists and advocates in pursuit of a more just future. Sixty years later, we are still marching for that just future, as too many of our institutions refuse to answer to the people.

After decades of incremental progress on everything from voting rights to racial justice in education, America now finds itself regressing at an unsustainable clip. Income inequality is exploding, systemic racism is rampant, authoritarianism is on the rise and we find ourselves confronted with many crises – both new and old. We were gradually following the arc of the moral universe toward justice, but now we see that dream slipping away.

So what is at the core of these fundamental challenges? The failure of our institutions. Our institutions aren't answering to the people – and Black communities are most impacted. Nowhere is this more on display than the Supreme Court of the United States, where an unaccountable, corrupt few are making decisions that put our freedoms on the line.

I helped write 'I Have a Dream' speech. Dr. King's message remains essential 60 years later.

Our Supreme Court is stacked with extremist conservatives

Today's Supreme Court is compromised. It has been stacked with hyperconservative politicians who pose as justices – most of whom were appointed by presidents who failed to win the popular vote. Most of those sitting on the bench today do not represent the American people. These extremist justices have no problem with issuing far-reaching decisions that will negatively impact millions of people, so long as their decisions benefit their donors and personal friends.

Recent reporting has been explosive, revealing the ways in which justices like Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito put ethics on the backburner for their own interests, leaving the needs of workers, families and communities on the line. By definition, that's corruption.

That's why – when we marched on Aug. 26, six decades after my father's March on Washington – we focused on energizing communities following a disastrous Supreme Court term that further eroded our rights.

It's time for Congress to do their job and step in. We need immediate investigations, hearings and legislative action against this broken Supreme Court.

For decades, we have marched on the path of progress. Never have we seen the realization of my father's vision, but we've taken one step in front of another to keep moving forward. Martin Luther King Jr. was in the room when the Voting Rights Act was signed into law, and his legacy spurred the creation of life changing ventures such as affirmative action and the Fair Housing Initiatives Program.

In 2013, the nation's highest court gutted the Voting Rights Act, insisting that "our country has changed" for the better and implying that we no longer needed voting rights protections. Since then, about 30 states have passed nearly 100 laws making it harder for people of color to vote.

Conservative justices again targeted communities of color by tearing down affirmative action, taking away one of our most important tools for leveling the playing field in education and employment.

Race-conscious admissions: Supreme Court ends affirmative action in admissions. Colleges will be whiter for it.

Supreme Court's legacy leaves us further from freedom

Everywhere you look throughout this court's legacy, you see a string of devastating decisions that harm the majority of Americans. Politicians have been empowered to interfere in people's personal health care decisions, clean air and water protections have been weakened, workers face extreme obstacles in their efforts to collectively organize, and the gun lobby keeps notching wins as gun violence serves as the leading cause of death for American children.

As a result of these decisions, our daughter – who is Martin Luther King Jr.'s only grandchild – and her peers have progressively lost rights since the day that they were born. They are navigating their lives with a fear of violence in their schools and at their movie theaters, and seeing the doors of equitable opportunity close in front of them.

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It's clear: The Supreme Court's decisions are incredibly unpopular. They are being made by unelected officials with lifetime appointments who disregard legal precedent, selectively interpret or ignore our Constitution and often overrule the elected representatives of the people in other branches of government.

This reality leaves all Americans less free, which we refuse to accept – just as we know leaders of the civil rights movement would.

But there is cause for hope. We have the American people on our side. So long as we remain engaged and treat this issue as a priority, we can make it clear that Congress needs to act.

That's why we, and the Drum Major Institute, joined United for Democracy – a new, nationwide coalition raising awareness around why we need urgent Supreme Court reform.

Today, we call on Congress to rein in the unchecked power of the highest court in the land before the damage becomes irreversible. We have marched, now it's time for our elected leaders to act.

Congress has the authority to rein in unelected justices who abuse their power. Taking action is a choice, and there are few things that are more important than fixing the Supreme Court.

Martin Luther King III is a global human rights activist and chairman of the Drum Major Institute. Arndrea Waters King is president of the Drum Major Institute, co-founder of Give Us The Ballot and wife of MLK III.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Supreme Court decisions, conservative bench chip away at our rights