"The very first time I was on a car in Atlanta, I saw the conductor - all conductors are white - ask a Negro woman to get up and take a seat farther back in order to make a place for a white man. I have also seen white men requested to leave the Negro section of the car"

This quote by Ray Stannard Baker speaks to the racial partition that prevailed in the United States during the very early 20th century. The quote highlights the discrimination that African Americans encountered in the South, particularly in Atlanta. The conductor, who was white, asked a black lady to transfer to the back of the cars and truck to include a white male. This reveals the power dynamics between white individuals as well as black individuals, with white people having the authority to make decisions as well as black individuals having to conform. Additionally, the quote mentions that white people were asked to leave the Negro area of the car, which even more demonstrates the racial segregation that remained in location. This quote acts as a suggestion of the bigotry and discrimination that African Americans encountered in the past, and also just how much we have come ever since.