{"id":86809,"date":"2022-12-15T15:49:00","date_gmt":"2022-12-15T19:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=86809"},"modified":"2022-12-20T16:33:32","modified_gmt":"2022-12-20T20:33:32","slug":"black-like-me-john-howard-griffin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/black-like-me-john-howard-griffin\/","title":{"rendered":"Black Like Me: John Howard Griffin Book Overview"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Want an overview of Black Like Me<\/em> by John Howard Griffin? What were Griffin’s key takeways from his experiment?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Black Like Me<\/em>, John Howard Griffin darkened his skin to appear like a Black man, then traveled for six weeks throughout the segregated Southern U.S. In the book, he argues that his hypothesis was correct: <\/strong>Black Southerners faced brutal racism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read on for an overview of John Howard Griffin’s Black Like Me<\/em> book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Black Like Me<\/em> Book Overview<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you could spend several weeks in the body of someone of a different race, would you? In 1959, one man tried to do this. To write his book Black Like Me<\/em>, John Howard Griffin, a white journalist from Texas, embarked on an experiment in which he darkened his skin tone to appear like a Black man, then traveled for six weeks throughout the segregated Deep South.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Griffin hypothesized that his disguise would subject him to racism, and he hoped this outcome would accomplish two main goals. First, he sought to better understand the nature of antiblack racism by experiencing it himself. Second, he hoped his discoveries about racism would convince white people that the U.S. was not<\/em> the racism-free country they believed it to be. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following his journey through the Deep South, Griffin claims his hypothesis was correct: Black Southerners faced discrimination on the basis of skin color.<\/strong> He made only one change to his appearance\u2014darkening his skin\u2014and that one alteration both limited his opportunities and subjected him to people\u2019s racism. He published stories from his journey in Sepia <\/em>magazine and later compiled these stories into Black Like Me<\/em>, published in 1961.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Question Behind Griffin\u2019s Experiment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In Black Like Me<\/em>, John Howard Griffin claims that one question drove his experiment: Was<\/strong> racism in the South<\/a> more rampant than most white Americans typically acknowledged? <\/strong>He first formulated this question after reading a news report about the rising numbers of Black Southerners who wanted to commit suicide. According to Griffin, this report painted a picture of the South that contradicted the narrative most white Americans believed: that Southern race relations were harmonious. Furthermore, most white people denied that racism existed in the U.S. They associated racism with the heinous anti-Semitism of Nazi Germany\u2014not with their own country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beliefs About Racism in Post-War America<\/strong>

In his book, Griffin focuses on describing white<\/em> people\u2019s perspectives on race relations in post-war America. Contrasting these perspectives with those of Black Americans reveals stark differences between how these two groups viewed their nation.

In the late 1950s, how widespread was the belief that the U.S. was free of racism? A national poll conducted in 1956 reveals that 60% of white people believed Black Americans were treated fairly<\/a>. This statistic supports Griffin\u2019s claim that most white people denied the existence of U.S. racism. The poll also reveals that, by contrast, only 11% of Black people believed they were treated fairly.

Furthermore, there were differences in how white and Black Americans compared the U.S. to Nazi Germany. As historian Ibram X. Kendi describes in Stamped From the Beginning<\/em><\/a>, during World War II, Black Americans saw parallels between their oppression and the oppression of European Jews\u2014parallels that white Americans didn\u2019t see. During the war, the country\u2019s largest black newspaper began the \u201cDouble V Campaign\u201d\u2014one \u201cV\u201d stood for \u201cvictory against racism at home,\u201d and the other stood for \u201cvictory against fascism abroad.\u201d This movement both celebrated Black people\u2019s contributions to the U.S. military and criticized racist U.S. laws. Some historians believe this campaign paved the way for the Civil Rights Movement<\/a>.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Griffin\u2019s Plan for His Experiment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

After deciding that could answer his question by disguising himself as a Black man, Griffin reasoned that for his experiment to work, he must <\/strong>only<\/em><\/strong> change his skin color. <\/strong>If he experienced racism while passing as Black and otherwise remaining exactly the same, it would prove to white Americans that Black Southerners experienced prejudice solely on the basis of skin color. Therefore, Griffin planned to keep his name, as well as dress and talk as he usually did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Griffin\u2019s Preparation for His Experiment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To write his book, Black Like Me<\/em>, John Howard Griffin took several steps to make his plan a reality. First, he enlisted the help of a dermatologist who darkened his skin using an ultraviolet lamp and pills that treat vitiligo (a skin disease). Next, Griffin obtained a dark stain that he smeared across his skin to even out his skin tone. Finally, Griffin shaved his head, since his untextured hair risked revealing his whiteness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Critics of Griffin\u2019s methods contend that it was wrong for him to darken his skin and shave his head to try to pass as Black, no matter his antiracist intentions. They see Griffin\u2019s disguise as an example of blackface (when non-Black people try to appear Black). For centuries, blackface has been used in performances to mock and dehumanize<\/a> Black people. One critic argues that even though Griffin didn\u2019t intend to mock nor dehumanize, his experiment was still blackface and therefore problematic<\/a>. By claiming that he represented the Black experience, Griffin arguably devalued Black people\u2019s real, complex experiences\u2014ones that result from a lifetime of being<\/em> Black, not several weeks of appearing<\/em> Black.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Griffin also prepared for his experiment by crafting an itinerary and a plan for how he\u2019d spend his time. He would begin his journey in Louisiana before traveling to three other Southern states: Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. As he traveled, he\u2019d embed himself in Southern Black communities by looking for work, forming friendships, and talking to Black residents. Throughout his journey, he\u2019d keep a diary of his experiences and insights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Griffin\u2019s approach is an example of investigative journalism<\/a>. Investigative journalists conduct in-depth research with the goal to expose a problem. To accomplish this, they often embed themselves in a new environment for an extended period. Griffin wasn\u2019t the first to use investigative reporting techniques to expose racism in the South. For instance, in the late 19th century, Black journalist Ida B. Wells investigated the lynchings of Black Southerners<\/a>. Her reporting raised public awareness about racist lynchings<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Griffin’s Findings<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In Black Like Me<\/em>, John Howard Griffin discovered on his six-week journey that his hypothesis was true: Black Southerners faced racism in their daily lives. <\/strong>We\u2019ll begin this section by explaining how racism limited Black Southerners\u2019 access to public amenities and how this lack of access shaped their daily lives. Then, we\u2019ll explore white Southerners\u2019 racist treatment of Black Southerners. Finally, we\u2019ll describe Black Southerners\u2019 strategies for navigating everyday racism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Insight 1: Black Southerners Lacked Access to Public Amenities<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

First, Griffin contends that due to racism, Black Southerners lacked access to public amenities <\/strong>such as parks, water fountains, bathrooms, and places to relax. This lack of access made it hard for Black Southerners to meet their basic needs. Griffin was struck by how much daily time he spent searching for Black-friendly bathrooms, resting spots, and places to eat and drink. Let\u2019s explore two reasons behind Black Southerners\u2019 lack of access to such amenities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Insight 2: Black Southerners Faced White People\u2019s Individual Racism<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Second, Griffin reflects that while he was disguised as a Black man, some white people treated him and the Black people around him with kindness and politeness; however, most showed some degree of racism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Griffin argues that many white Southerners treated him like a stereotype <\/em>of a Black man, rather than like a human<\/em>. <\/strong>Let\u2019s examine three of these stereotypes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n