NO Saints Benjamin Watson: Government Can Only Do So Much Against Racism

New Orleans Saints tight end Benjamin Watson wrote a Facebook post on Nov. 25 about Ferguson. It went viral, for a whole lot of reasons, but mainly how he chose to end it:

I’M HOPELESS, because I’ve lived long enough to expect things like this to continue to happen. I’m not surprised and at some point my little children are going to inherit the weight of being a minority and all that it entails.

I’M HOPEFUL, because I know that while we still have race issues in America, we enjoy a much different normal than those of our parents and grandparents. I see it in my personal relationships with teammates, friends and mentors. And it’s a beautiful thing.

I’M ENCOURAGED, because ultimately the problem is not a SKIN problem, it is a SIN problem. SIN is the reason we rebel against authority. SIN is the reason we abuse our authority. SIN is the reason we are racist, prejudiced and lie to cover for our own. SIN is the reason we riot, loot and burn. BUT I’M ENCOURAGED because God has provided a solution for sin through the his son Jesus and with it, a transformed heart and mind. One that’s capable of looking past the outward and seeing what’s truly important in every human being. The cure for the Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice and Eric Garner tragedies is not education or exposure. It’s the Gospel. So, finally, I’M ENCOURAGED because the Gospel gives mankind hope.

Watson appeared on MSNBC today and elaborated on the post. Host Ronan Farrow asked him about government response to racial issues, and the three meetings about Ferguson that President Obama will have at the White House today. Watson said that government cannot solve the problem.

“I think there is only so much that a government can do, when it comes to race issues,” Watson said. “There are questions of law that the government can enact and put things in place. As I mentioned in my post, it’s a hard issue.

“I think that when it comes down to it, we have this thing called sin in our heart that makes us prejudiced and lash out at people and treat people wrong. No matter if you are are white or black, we have this basic issue that can only be fixed by the blood of Christ. That’s my view on it. We can do as much as we want from a government standpoint and change laws and put people through training and all those things are well and good, but the issue of sin still remains, until we deal with it.”