Neither understands the other, and therein lies the problem.
This is a false statement if for no oher reason than this. Black people, if they want to accomplish certain things in life, are required to learn how to navigate white society. In order to do so you have to understand things like 1) what makes white people VERY uncomfortable and how to avoid those things, 2) how to deal with social/economic envy, 3) how not to alienate others who may be afraid and/or intimidated by you, also whe to just throw in the towel, how to protect your legal rights etc.
White people on the other hand, NEVER EVER have to deal with black people in any way, shape form or fashion if they so choose. They can live in white neighborhoods, they can attend white or mostly white schools, they can do business with other whites, essentially they can avoid black people all together if that's what floats their boat. They are not dependent upon African Americans for their jobs, their education, services, etc. Even whites who do interact with black people by "allowing" them to serve them don't have to understand anything about Black people to receive these services which in some instances reinforces the stereotyope of white supremacy and black servitude. For the longest time the only jobs blacks could obtain were in the service industries - as maids, cooks, bellhops, etc.
Black people understand white people and white society much better than the majority of whites could ever begin to understand us. The fact that the white racists on this website can only parrot erroneous statistic but never engage in conversation on where those numbers came from, how they were compiled but even more importantly what they mean is that racists buy into the media stereotypes that reinforce their racist beliefs. It's a vicious self-fulfilling circle. They won't change, they don't want to change because this is what makes them feel superior, in the case of a few here, being white appears to be the only thing they can claim.