Up until then I'd thought that white people and colored people getting along was the big aim, but after that I decided everybody being colorless together was a better plan. I thought of that policeman, Eddie Hazelwurst, saying I'd lowered myself to be in this house of colored women, and for the very life of me I couldn't understand how it had turned out this way, how colored women had become the lowest ones on the totem pole. You only had to look at them to see how special they were, like hidden royalty among us. Eddie Hazelwurst. What a shitbucket.
The narrator reflects on their previous belief that harmony between white and colored individuals was the ultimate goal. However, they realize that a better aspiration would be for everyone to exist without regard to color. This shift in perspective is provoked by an encounter with a policeman who disparaged them for interacting with women of color, revealing the societal hierarchy that places colored women at the bottom. The narrator is baffled by this unfair ranking, as they perceive the strength and uniqueness of these women.
The narrator's realization highlights the injustice of societal norms and the need for reevaluation of racial perceptions. They see the colored women as possessing a hidden nobility, contrary to the derogatory views held by figures like Eddie Hazelwurst. This passage illustrates a journey toward understanding that transcends racial boundaries and advocates for a shared humanity, emphasizing the importance of recognizing the value in all individuals regardless of color.