Alabama execution shows we haven't come far since 'Bloody Sunday,' King march

On March 7, 1965, some 600 civil rights activists marched in Selma, Alabama, demanding an end to racial discrimination. The demonstration was led by now-Rep. John Lewis and Hosea Williams, who worked with my father, Martin Luther King Jr.

As the peaceful and nonviolent protesters crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge, they were met with tear gas and billy clubs. This dark day in America’s history is remembered as "Bloody Sunday."

Last week, just two days shy of the 55-year anniversary of Bloody Sunday, Alabama executed Nathaniel Woods, a black man,...