Another Martin Luther King Jr. Day observance has come and gone, with some of those who got a day off choosing to sleep it away and others dedicating the extra time to give back to their community.

The holiday seems to have varying significance, depending on your crowd and location, but here in southern Maine it’s seen as an appropriate time to commemorate the work of this historic figure, and to reflect on a time not so long ago when racial inequality was the accepted norm.

Locally, the First Parish Congregational Church in Saco marked its fourth year of celebrating MLK Day with a day of service, offering shower facilities, haircuts and other help to the homeless and people in need. Several other events were held in southern Maine, including the annual NAACP breakfast in Portland, and the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church in Kennebunk held a breakfast of its own, with a speaker. The University of New England has an ongoing series of events to commemorate MLK Day, through Black History Month in February, and we urge readers to consider attending one or more of those events to connect with the nation’s history.

This is an important year for this particular national observance, as it is the first since the spring 2011 unveiling of the Martin Luther King Jr. monument in Washington, D.C. The monument has been a long time in coming, with President Bill Clinton signing the monument into legislation in 1996. Now, close to two decades later, the monument is a reality, an important addition to the other testaments to notables and to our founding fathers that grace the nation’s capitol.

Though King was assassinated during the height of the Civil Rights Movement in 1968, it’s interesting to note that the first nationwide legal holiday of MLK Day wasn’t marked until 1986, long after race relations had cooled to a manageable level.

It’s as important now as ever, though. Monday’s holiday gives us a chance to pause and take stock of how different life in the U.S. is now, thanks to the efforts of martyrs like King and the others who were instrumental in the Civil Rights movement.

Though King was a Baptist preacher, his peaceful approach to civil rights transcends the religious beliefs that divide us and instead united all of those with progressive minds. For those of us who didn’t live through the 1950s and ’60s, it’s easy to just take a look back at publications and television from that era and see how prevalent and ingrained racism was in American society.

It’s hard for us to understand now, but King and other civil rights supporters faced seemingly insurmountable obstacles in a time when interracial marriage and integrated schools were simply incomprehensible for much of the nation. It took patience, perseverance and, yes, blood and tears, to turn the tide of social mores and bring us to where we are today. King was hugely instrumental in sharing a powerful vision of a united America and giving voice to those who had been marginalized and faceless for so long.

As we head toward Black History Month in February, it’s a time to remember the strides in civil rights that King helped us make as a nation and to take his non-violent approach to heart as we face the social issues of our own times.

Today’s editorial was written by Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski on behalf of the Journal Tribune Editorial Board. Questions? Comments? Contact Kristen by calling 282-1535, Ext. 322, or via email at kristenm@journaltribune.com.