We observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2017 amid a circumstantial paradox.

We say farewell this week to the nation’s first African-American president. Barack Obama’s presidency is a testament to a race that aspired to the highest and most powerful office in a land that enslaved them 150 years earlier, and only 50 years ago came to terms with the fundamental civil rights injustices that Martin Luther King Jr. so eloquently and righteously pointed out.

The rapid rise reminds us of the Bible story of Joseph, sold into slavery by his brothers and thrown in prison, only to become a governor and save nations — as well as his brothers — from a calamity that only Joseph could foresee, when the calamity came to him in a dream.

Therein lies the paradox. When it comes to race, a modern-day calamity has not been averted.

In Obama’s hometown of Chicago, there were a record 762 murders, including 714 by shooting, in 2016. A startling 85 percent of the victims were black. In the majority of cases, the assailant is unknown, but in most cases that were cleared by police, the assailant also was black.

Observers point to a police backlash in recent years in reaction to the growing public outrage over police killings of black men. Black Lives Matter and other activist movements depict these killings, whether fairly or not, to involve unarmed men without provocation.

Conservative columnist Rich Lowry recently wrote: “The equation that accounts for the rising body count is simple: As the Chicago police have become less aggressive, the gangs have become more aggressive and more people have been killed. Chicago demonstrates that in swaths of inner-city America, you can have a chastened, passive police department, or a modicum of public order, but not both.”

The chronic distrust between law enforcement and minorities has only worsened during the Obama years. To lay the blame for that on Obama would oversimplify the issues. Suffice it to say the issues remain unsettled.

Former presidents have returned to private life and accomplished great things. Jimmy Carter has given many years and built many houses for the Habitat for Humanity program. Bill Clinton has raise millions of dollars for third world charities.

Obama has unique talents and opportunities ahead of him when he leaves the White House. He could redefine the entire realm of race relations — at a time when redefinition is desperately needed. Such an effort could secure the soon-to-be former president an enduring favorable legacy.

This Martin Luther King Jr. Day gives occasion to salute, congratulate and thank President Obama for his eight years of dedicated service to our nation.