In the last year I’ve spoken or written about the issue of race in America more times than my previous 11 years in pastoral ministry. From those videos and articles one of the questions that has emerged, especially from white readers and viewers, is “What can we do?”

This question came specifically in response to statements I made here and here. Those statements suggested that in order for the American Caste system to be destroyed, white people must stop passively benefiting from the lie that being white is inherently better, and instead live according to God’s definition of what makes a person worthy. I understand how such a statement could lead a white person to ask “What can I do?” or “How do I do that?”

It’s a good question, because the days we live in are not as overtly racist as earlier days were. Blacks are not being turned away at the door, as it were, while whites are being let in. Most white people today would not stand for this at all; that’s progress. But the way it happens today is more subtle, and requires a keen eye to spot it and deal with it. I’ve been thinking of some good examples to help people see what I mean by refusing to benefit from the American Caste system when the news provided one for me.

Recently, black Tik Tok creators went on strike because they have not been receiving credit for their creative content. Instead, some white people on Tik Tok imitated what they made, and since they had the larger audiences and were preferred over the original creators, they received the notoriety and acclaim that belonged not to them.

For example, In the last year and a half, white Tik Tok-ers were invited to perform a dance at the NBA All Star game; the inventor of that dance — a young black lady — was not asked, even though she would’ve relished the opportunity. More recently a white Tik Tok-er was invited to be on the Jimmy Kimmel show to teach his audience some of the famous Tik Tok dances, roughly 80% of them invented by people of color. None of the original creators were invited even though they, too, were available. Indeed, they would’ve made themselves available for this opportunity of a lifetime!

In these examples there were several opportunities to step out of the Caste system that values being white above all else. The promoters of the events could’ve simply reached out to the original creators and asked them to come on the show. I wouldn’t have taken much research to find out who they were. The white Tik Tok-ers could’ve realized that this was not their time to shine, but somebody else’s. They already benefit by having more followers from imitating the dances of black creators, must they also colonize all of the acclaim as if they were the inventors? (History is filled with examples of people at the top of the food chain taking the credit that belonged to someone that was devalued. There are many of these Hidden Figures waiting to be revealed.) Unfortunately, this is what they chose to do; they chose to benefit from the Caste system that deemed them worthy because of their white skin, rather than stand in the truth where real value and worth is to be found, and let others receive the rewards that they were due.

It’s likely that readers of this article are not Tik Tok people; I myself heard about this controversy through my wife, Ashanti, and a friend that made a wonderful video about it (see below). But the controversy helps us see that there are other opportunities for white people to refuse the privileges of the Caste system.

I know that preferential treatment is hard to spot; after all, it just seems like someone is being nice to you. But the absence of it is easy to spot. So pay attention to when someone isn’t receiving the treatment that you are receiving; that may be an indication that the Caste system is working subversively.

Examples:

• Did you arrive at a restaurant and get seated before a black couple that has been waiting? Ask why.

• Did you notice that black teens are being followed around a store? Ask why. Do you dare?

• Did you receive a promotion at work, while a deserving black colleague did not? Ask why.

These are incidents — there are many more — that black people continue to report as common experiences of life. If white people want to bring true equality, they, and not black people, must be the ones that notice and raise the question, “Why?”

The reason the American Caste system still governs life is because people are happy to benefit from it. The moment that white people begin to 1) take offense at being valued simply because of their skin-color and, 2) promote the inherent value of others, especially when they are deserving, the Caste system will crumble.