NFL legend and Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker responded to the growing tensions across the country by appealing to the Bible, stressing the power of forgiveness and asking, “Why are we penalizing people for what their ancestors did?”
“I was reading the greatest book ever written, the Bible, and I read ‘But if you don’t forgive others, your Father will not forgive your offenses.’ – Matthew 6:15,” the NFL great wrote, appealing to the words of Jesus.
“Why are we penalizing people for what their ancestors did?” he asked. “Forgiveness doesn’t mean you get something in return.”
On Friday, Walker said that he doesn’t want to defund the police. Nor, does he want to see the country’s history torn down. Instead, the former Heisman winner wants Americans to be “united.”
Walker’s plea comes as protesters call for the removal of historic monuments, companies rebrand iconic items, and in some cases, activists demand individuals to admit their supposed “privilege” — all in the name of racial and social justice.
Officials in Columbus, Ohio, for example, recently removed the statue of famed explorer Christopher Columbus, which stood outside of the City Hall. Mayor Andrew J. Ginther (D) stated that the statue represented “patriarchy, oppression and divisiveness” for “many” people in the community.
“That does not represent our great city, and we will no longer live in the shadow of our ugly past,” Ginther added.
Several activists nationwide have taken matters into their own hands, vandalizing monuments and demanding reparations from individuals who played no part in slavery.
“Now is the time to go big,” Robert Johnson, founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET), told CNBC’s Squawk Box during a June appearance, demanding over $14 trillion in reparations and urging Americans to view it as an “investment.”
“It is an atonement for 200-plus years of slavery, desegregation — I mean, segregation, Jim Crowism, and a denial of equal opportunity rights,” Johnson said during a June appearance on Fox News Channel’s Special Report.
“But the result of that payment would be to bring African-Americans equal to white Americans in terms of opportunity, wealth, and income,” he added.
The proposal has gained traction among far-left politicians and celebrities, with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) recently urging Congress to enact Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee’s (D-TX) legislation, which would form a commission to study proposals for issuing reparations.
Actress Lena Dunham has also demonstrated support for such measures, essentially apologizing for her white “privilege” and urging people to “shut up, unless it’s to advocate for change for Black people,” “give reparations widely,” and “defund the police.”
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