Race and Place MIS

"And though I held my laptop bag too close at first-forgetting that I was home, that I had not to long ago been on the other side of the stare-there was something about that walk that revived my hope in the social realities and divides that this profession is uniquely positioned to confront and perhaps transform." (Race and Place pg 4)

I found this sentance irratating because I really don't understand how this sentence developed. First the author was talking about how her old neighboorhood had reamined destitute, and how she herself was afraid to walk through it. Then she all of a sudden feels her hope revived about her profession. Why the sudden 180? To me, there doesn't seem to be a reason for the change. The authors old home is the same as ever and she hasn't even seen the "yellow palace" yet, so a renewal of hope doesn't make sense to me. Maybe the author thinks that the library can still become a leveling ground for everybody, but in the context of the story this sentance still seems confusing.