John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Dear Readers:
This is a very sad week for America. I would like to tell the family of Michael Brown that I am praying for them. I am praying for my country and the world. As a colored man who is facing racial injustice perpetrated by an unfair, unequal and corrupt justice system, I feel your pain. I want to thank all the people who are standing up and peacefully protesting across America. I would like to thank the people in Bangor who are standing up against injustice. It gives me hope and warms my heart. It is hard to believe that with all our knowledge, some people of the 21st century are still engaging in racism and classism. The devil loves contention. We must not allow him to manipulate this situation and turn us against each other. We must find a peaceful solution. We must not just focus on the anger we feel and the bad parts of this situation. We must also focus on the opportunity we now have to discuss this issue and resolve it. We must not fight hate with hate. Only love can defeat hate. God is love.
There is a famous quote from the Irish Statesman, Edmund Burke, that comes to mind. He said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” You know, I think it is so beautiful to see good-natured, sane and rational people come together – people of all colors. I thank God I am witnessing this. I commend them all. As someone who has been ridiculed and mistreated because of my color, I want you to know it means so much to me and all men of color to know that not all of society looks down on us. God bless you for that. When I read the Bangor Daily News today, I had tears of joy when I saw the outpouring of love this community expressed.
When the police [B.P.D.] in my case were investigating, they kept badgering people, trying to get them to say my co-defendant was with a black guy. They were trying to link me to a crime I did not commit. When I turned myself in, I was terrified because even though I knew I did not murder anyone, I also knew that I would be treated unfairly because of my color. Those fears were realized when I was portrayed negatively in the media and my color was put on trial. For a colored man in America, the scariest scenario you can be faced with is being accused of murdering whites and facing an all white jury (because we know we will most likely be railroaded). During my trial, I was the only colored person in the room. I cannot tell you how frightening that is. Even though my mom is white, I am stereotyped. I am proud of my heritage on both sides of my family. I love being culturally diverse. It has expanded my view of the world and has given me an open mind.
In the book of Genesis, God doesn’t mention the color of Adam and Eve. Jesus never says anything about what color people are in the gospels. That’s because our Lord God does not see color; He sees our hearts. Martin Luther King said, “It is not the color of a man’s skin but the content of his character that matters.” Amen to that. Jesus left us two commandments: 1) Love the Lord God with all your heart” and 2) Love your neighbor as you love yourself. Jesus did not discriminate and neither should we. Please join me and pray for peace and equality in this world. People of Missouri: I feel your pain, but please stop the violence. Hate only begets more hate. I love you and I am with you. May God bless and keep you. May you find peace in Christ.
Love in Christ,
Randall
Please also see NFL Player, Benjamin Watson’s Facebook post.