Albert Lea and the rest of the nation celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday.

While there have been many gains in civil rights since Martin Luther King was alive, there is still a long way to go in achieving some of the goals King fought for.

According to a study of U.S. adults conducted by the Pew Research Center in 2019, 58% of all adults think race relations in the U.S. are generally bad, and more than four in 10 say the country hasn’t gone far enough in giving blacks equal rights to white.

The study found that 52% of all adults think black people are treated less fairly than white people in hiring, pay and promotions, and 45% think blacks are treated less fairly in stores or restaurants. The percentages were higher by black adults than by white adults.

On top of these numbers, 65% of Americans say it has become more common for people to express racist or racially insensitive views in the last few years.

These numbers are disappointing.

We must stand up against the inequalities that still exist in our society — even in our own community — and we must teach our children the value of every human life.

As King said: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

Let us choose not to be silent.