Black Like Me

Plot Summary: Black Like Me was written by John Howard Griffin about his adventure in some southern states and what he observed when he pigmented his skin to be an African American; who at the time was being discriminated against. Throughout his experiment he experienced many things including racism, discrimination, and survival. Griffin was a privileged southern white from Texas. During the pigmentation process he set out for New Orleans, once the procedure was done completely, he seen things as a black man. The restaurants he went to as a white man did not tolerate the colored. He went to a shoe shiner who he had previously met as a white didn’t recognize him. Griffin then entrusted him with his secret about his experiment. He came by a couple days later and then began his journey to the other southern states, such as Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia.
Historical Summary:
The major theme of the book was racism. However there were more, among them were the lack of unity of the black community, segregation, and religion as a savior. The whites were disturbed by the blacks and frequently gave them “hate stares”. This experiment of his was taken place during 1959. He met many people along the way including Sterling Williams, the shoe shiner, Sam Gandy, the dean of Dillard College, Christophe, and P.D. East who is the editor of a newspaper in Mississippi. He sees him as an inspiration.
Historical Terms: There were many historical people mentioned in this book such as Benjamin Mays, president of Morehouse College, Wesley Dobbs, Samuel Williams, A.T. Walden, Martin Luther King and his son Martin Luther King Jr. who he said contributed to the American dream in its best sense. Some places he visited were Dillard College and many towns in the states there was, New Orleans, Hattiesburg, and Mobile to name a few. He found many problems hitchhiking with whites. He rarely hitchhiked with black men because most didn’t drive. The whites asked inappropriate questions.