How we cite our quotes: (Line)
Quote #1
And up the hill on vine street
(The main black corridor) sat our carnegie library (22-23)
At a few points in the poem, Giovanni speaks of the evils of discrimination. In this moment, she hints at greater difficulties that will make the simple act of borrowing a book so complicated. At the same time, there is a sense of pride in community ("our carnegie library") that runs against the idea of segregation.
Quote #2
When I wanted Leaves of Grass or alfred north whitehead
She would go to the big library uptown and I now know
Hat in hand to ask to borrow so that I might borrow (28-30)
There are two things about this complicated borrowing process that are directly influenced by race relations in the South. First up: the availability of books. Although this library was desegregated in 1950, it's possible that Giovanni couldn't get what she wanted there because it serviced a primarily black neighborhood. Second, Mrs. Long has to humble herself at the "big library"—presumably one that caters to white people—in order to get Giovanni the books she needs.
Quote #3
Probably they said something humiliating since southern
Whites like to humiliate southern blacks (31-32)
Giovanni deliberately separates these lines into their own gut-wrenching stanza. It's meant to hurt the reader—give a real punch—so that we might understand how the everyday reality of racism injured its targets. The tone is also quite weary, as if the humiliation had become so routine that there was no point in wasting energy on it anymore.