Attending high school at Rock Hill Northwestern High School in Rock Hill, South Carolina, Benjamin Watson knows how it is to grow up in a town that still raises the confederate flag.
Currently a tight end for the New Orleans Saints, Watson decided to share his views on the flag debate in South Carolina and was very articulate in getting his point across via a Facebook post.
In the post, Watson wants South Carolina and other states that still wave the Confederate flag in government buildings to stop doing it. Not just to make a PR or political statement, but to honestly take it down for the right reasons, especially due to the fact that it symbolizes one of the worst times in true American history.
Here’s an excerpt of the post.
“If we remove the Confederate flag from the State Capitol for any reason other than a change in the hearts of South Carolinians, we may as well leave it be. This is not the time for political statements and worrying about national perception. But if we, like my friend Frank, finally listen to the cries and concerns of those we say we care about, soften our hearts, and choose to lay our liberties aside to assuage the pain of our brothers, the only suitable option would be a unanimous decision to remove the flag from the public grounds at the Palmetto State Capitol. The past and it’s people, as acclaimed or afflicted as they may be, should always be remembered. But it is difficult to completely “move forward” if painful, divisive icons continue to stand unchallenged.”
You can find the whole post here: Ben Watson
What do you think about states still waving the Confederate flag? Do you think Watson makes a valid point?
Source: Complex