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black like me3

black like me3 Middle-aged and living in Mansfield, Texas, John Howard Griffin desired to know if Southern whites were racist against the Negro population of the Deep South, or if they really judged people based on the individual's personality as many said they did. Since communication between the white and black race did not exist, neither race really knew what it was like for the other. Because of this, Griffin felt the only way to know the truth was to become a black man and travel through the South. This prompted him to cross the color line and write Black Like Me. On October 28, 1959 he began his transition and with the help of a dermatologist became a “black man” on November 7th of that year. The internationally distributed Negro magazine Sepia in exchange for the right to print excerpts from the finished product financed his trip. He entered black society in New Orleans, LA through his contact Sterling, a shoe shine boy that he had met in the days prior. Griffin stayed with Sterling at the shine stand for a few days to become assimilated into the society and to learn more about the attitude and mindset of the common black man. After a week of trying to find work other than menial labor, he left to travel throughout the Southern states of Mississippi, Alabama, and Texas. The day he left (November 14th) was the day after a Mississippi jury refused to indict or consider evidence in the Mack Parker Kidnap-Lynch Murder Case. He decided to go to Mississippi, the southern state most feared by blacks of that time, to see if it really did have the "wonderful relationship" with “their Negroes” that they said they did. He found Hattiesburg, MS so full of tension that it scared him. He knew it was a threat to his life if he remained because he was not a true Negro and did not know the proper way to conduct himself in this situation. He traveled to Biloxi, MS and began hitch hiking towards Mobile, AL. Generally white men would not pick him up during daylight as often as they would at night. One of the reasons was that nighttime is a type of protection and the white men would let their defenses down. They would not be as afraid of someone they knew seeing them with a Negro in their car. The main reason was the stereotypes many white men had about Negroes. Many believed they were more sexually active, knew more about sex, had larger genitalia and fewer morals; therefore, would discuss these things with them. Many Negroes he encountered on his journey through the Deep South were kind and opened their hearts and homes to him. One example of this is when Griffin was stranded between Mobile and Montgomery and a black man offered him lodging at his home. The man's home was a two-room shack that housed six members of his family, but he accepted John into his home and refused any money for the trouble saying that "he'd brought more than he'd taken.” In Montgomery, AL Griffin decided it was time for him to reenter white society. John Howard Griffin produced a 188-page journal covering his transition into the black race, his travels and experiences in the South, the shift back into white society, and the reaction of those he knew prior his experience. A journalist and a specialist on race issues, he became a leading advocate in the Civil Rights Movement. He did many things to promote awareness on racial issues and helped pass legislation after the publication of his book. This was an excellent book and a movie has also been made from it. This author was very courageous and deserves to be recognized for having not only the will, but also the courage to do something this dangerous out of mainly curiosity. I recommend this book to anyone that likes or can read. Bibliography:

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