White people have reaped countless benefits from living in this racist society, whether they're racist or not.
"What they are affected by are attacks on their own character. To my [white] aunt, the suggestion that “people in The North are racist” is an attack on her as a racist. She is unable to differentiate her participation within a racist system (upwardly mobile, not racially profiled, able to move to White suburbs, etc.) from an accusation that she, individually, is a racist. Without being able to make that differentiation, White people in general decide to vigorously defend their own personal non-racism, or point out that it doesn’t exist because they don’t see it."
Please, everyone, read "I, Racist", by John Metta. It's important.