How we cite our quotes:
Quote #1
The town of Chicokema did indeed own a tank. It had been bought [...] when the townspeople who were white felt under attack from "outside agitators"—those members of the black community who thought equal rights for all should extend to blacks. (1.1.12)
In this small Southern town, you're considered an "outside agitator" if you hold the belief that people of all races are equal. That's insanity. In fact, this might not actually be as far-fetched as you might think. During the real-life Tulsa Race Riot of 1921, numerous eyewitness accounts claimed that white citizens used World War I weaponry to attack the city's black community. Not the brightest moment in US History, that's for sure.
Quote #2
Along the line of bright stores stood a growing crowd of white people. Along the shabby stores where Truman and the sweeper stood was a still-as-death crowd of blacks. (1.1.35)
This is a town divided. Although this scene takes place after the bulk of the Civil Rights Movement, it doesn't seem like the people of Chicokema have much to show for it—they're still much poorer than their white counterparts and denied equality because of it. Class is a lot more important to racial equality than it might seem at first glance.
Quote #3
"You wait and see. He's scared of us causing a commotion that could get in the cracker papers, just when he's fooled 'em that Saxon Knee-grows are finally your ideal improved type." (1.3.17)
Some people—like the dean of Saxon College—become almost ashamed of their race in an attempt to rise above it. This guy probably had the best of intentions at first, driven by an earnest desire to help his community get educated and rise up the social ladder. Ultimately, however, he ends up simply perpetuating white stereotypes about the black community.