In this quote, he is specifically referring to people like Bob Ewell, who knew that if he accused a black man of rape, that man would be convicted, just because of racism and discrimination that exists. If he were to accuse a white man of rape, the odds would be more "equal" than they were in Tom's case. Bob knew that Tom being black would gurantee Tom's verdict of guilt; he took advantage of a man's race to do serious evil.
Also, Atticus, in this quote, is teaching his children a very important moral lesson. In the quote, he is saying that because black people in their society get such a rotten deal, because they are put down, spit upon, considered to be the lowest of the low, ostracized from society, not respected, and given the hardest, dirtiest work that there is, that they have a rough time in life. And because they have the hardest time in life, to treat them poorly is to take advantage of the weakest among all people. It is like taking food from a starving child; the black people don't get any respect or any opportunities in their lives, and so to cheat them is to treat them like scum, and to be just one more white person that reinforces discrimination. White people didn't have to struggle the same way that black people did. Black people, just because they were black, were constantly being cheated by white people; Atticus does not want to be one more white person taking advantage of a black person. He doesn't want the cycle of racism and discrimination to continue in himself and his children. He says you should treat everyone with respect, but moreso those people that deserve a fair chance because they never get one anywhere else.
I hope those thoughts help to explain the quote a bit. Good luck!
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