NFL tight end Benjamin Watson, who plays for the Baltimore Ravens, can't forget the first time he heard about the death of Michael Brown, an African-American living in Ferguson, Missouri who was gunned down by a cop in a case that led to accusations it was because of the colour of his skin.
Watson was shopping with his wife at Target then, but his attention was focused on the news concerning Brown. Watson was so affected by the incident that he rushed home to write about his feelings, which he later turned into a book titled "Under Our Skin: Getting Real About Race."
"I remember them deciding not to indict the officer and feeling so much emotion," Watson says, according to The Journal Gazette. "What I do sometimes is write. I [wrote] about being frustrated and sad, about being hopeful because I see the progress made in this country on race."
Watson believes that racial discrimination is a "sin problem" that has hounded America for years, and that the only solution lies in God.
"As believers, we have an answer the world does not," Watson says. "One of the biggest divides we have is the difference in experiences. We have to address our loyalties. Our loyalty is not to our grandparents, the traditions, our volleyball team, our friends; as believers, our loyalty is to Scripture."
In God, "we are one," says Watson, so there should be no more racial divide and friction if people all bow down to the Saviour.
"The challenge is to call it as sin," Watson added. "Sometimes we say, 'Oh, they're black, I don't really like them,' or 'All the white people are out to get me; I can't stand them.' Our earthly distinctions, God created. The reason we have power to live free from sin is His blood. His blood is what unites us."
