A former football player and outspoken Christian argued that the proposal to pay black Americans as reparations for slavery is unbiblical.
Herschel Walker, a former NFL player, opposed the bill for slavery reparations and said that it is "outside the teachings of Jesus Christ." He presented his case before the members of the Judiciary subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties on Wednesday, discussing about House Resolution 40, The Blaze reported.
U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Democrat from Texas, introduced Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African-American Act, which aims to create a commission that would study reparation proposals to "examine slavery and discrimination in the colonies and the United States from 1619 to the present and recommend appropriate remedies." Lee also joined the virtual hearing.
Walker began his statement by saying that the resolution is creating "white guilt" by using "Black power." He then continued with his biblical approach, saying, "How can I ask my Heavenly Father to forgive me if I can't forgive my brother?"
Citing Ezekiel 18:20, Walker said that punishing a "non-guilty party" creates division.
"I never want to put anyone's religion down, but my religion teaches togetherness. Reparations teach separation. Slavery ended over 130 years ago; how can a father be asked [to allow] his son to spend prison time for a crime he committed?" he said.
He further said that the proposal is not practical given the question on the source of funding and challenge to determine its recipients.
"Reparations - where does the money come from? Does it come from all the other races except the black taxpayers? Who is black? What percentage of black must you be to receive reparations? Do you go to 23andMe or a DNA test to determine the percentage of blackness? Some American ancestors just came to this country 80 years ago, their ancestors weren't even here during slavery. Some black immigrants weren't here during slavery, nor their ancestors. Some states didn't even have slavery," he contended.
Radio host Larry Elder also opposed the proposal, saying that the main problem is not systemic racism but poverty, The Daily Mail wrote.
"Obviously there are black people who are poor, the extent of which the poverty is a result of slavery and Jim Crow is tenuous at best. The larger factor behind black poverty is the absence of fathers in the home," Elder said.
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris reportedly support the bill, which Jen Psaki said is a part of the current administration's "commitment to take comprehensive action to address the systemic racism that persists today."
The resolution was first introduced in 1989 by late Rep. John Conyers. It was named after "40 Acres and A Mule," an order to allot land to freed families of black Americans during the American Civil War.
Walker was born in Augusta, Georgia in 1962. He began to play football in high school where he graduated valedictorian. He continued playing the sport in the University of Georgia and won the Heisman Trophy in 1982. He joined Dallas Cowboys in 1986 and moved to Minnesota Vikings in 1989. He then transferred to Philadelphia Eagles in 1992 but returned to Dallas Cowboys in 1996. He retired from the NFL in 1997.
