Answer: symbolize the destructive impact racial prejudice has on individual lives.
Step-by-step explanation:
From the excerpt, after the funeral of Baldwin's father, there was a race riot that broke out in Harlem and this resulted in the smashed plate glass that was seen when his father was taken to the graveyard.
In this case, Baldwin describes a personal event taking place amid a race riot to symbolize the destructive impact that racial prejudice has on the lives of individual.