Black Like Me is a non-fiction book by journalist John Howard Griffin first published in 1961 (it was made into a film in 1964 (Black Like Me (film))). The book describes Griffin's (a white native of Mansfield, Texas) six-week experience travelling throughout the racially segregated states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia passing as a black man. Sepia Magazine financed the project in exchange for the right to print the account first as a series of articles. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (406x648, 47 KB) Summary Cover of the book Black Like Me. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (406x648, 47 KB) Summary Cover of the book Black Like Me. ... John Howard Griffin (June 16, 1920 - September 9, 1980) was a white journalist and author who wrote largely in favor of racial equality. ... See also: 1960 in literature, other events of 1961, 1962 in literature, list of years in literature. ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... Black Like Me is a 1964 film directed by Carl Lerner and based on the book of the same name. ... The 4th edition of Meyers Konversationslexikon (Leipzig, 1885-1890) shows the Caucasian race (in blue) as comprising Aryans, Semites and Hamites. Aryans are further sub-divided into European Aryans and Indo-Aryans (the latter corresponding to the group now designated Indo-Iranians). ... Mansfield is a city located in Tarrant County, Texas. ... The Rex Theatre for Colored People Racial segregation is characterized by separation of different races in daily life, such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a rest room, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home[1]. Segregation... Official language(s) de jure: none de facto: English & French Capital Baton Rouge Largest city New Orleans [1] Area  Ranked 31st  - Total 51,885 sq mi (134,382 km²)  - Width 130 miles (210 km)  - Length 379 miles (610 km)  - % water 16  - Latitude 29°N to 33°N  - Longitude 89°W... Official language(s) English Capital Jackson Largest city Jackson Area  Ranked 32nd  - Total 48,434 sq mi (125,443 km²)  - Width 170 miles (275 km)  - Length 340 miles (545 km)  - % water 3  - Latitude 30° 12′ N to 35° N  - Longitude 88° 06′ W to 91° 39′ W Population  Ranked 31st... Official language(s) English Capital Montgomery Largest city Birmingham Area  Ranked 30th  - Total 52,419 sq mi (135,765 km²)  - Width 190 miles (306 km)  - Length 330 miles (531 km)  - % water 3. ... Languages Predominantly American English Religions Protestantism (chiefly Baptist and Methodist); Roman Catholicism; Islam Related ethnic groups Sub-Saharan Africans and other African groups, some with Native American groups. ... Sepia Magazine was a black-owned photojournalistic magazine styled like Life and sometimes compared to Ebony. ...

Griffin kept a journal of his experiences; the 188-page diary was the genesis of the book.

In 1959, at the time of the book's writing, race relations were particularly strained in North America; Griffin's aim was to explain the difficulties facing black people in certain areas. To expedite this, under the care of a doctor, Griffin artificially darkened his skin to pass as a black man. Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... North America North America is a continent[1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ... A Masai man in Kenya Black people or blacks is a political, social or cultural classification of people. ...

In 1964, a film version of Black Like Me starring James Whitmore was produced.^[1] 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... Whitmore in The Asphalt Jungle James Allen Whitmore (born October 1, 1921) is an American film actor. ...

Robert Bonazzi subsequently published the book Man in the Mirror: John Howard Griffin and the Story of Black Like Me.

The title of the book is taken from the last line of the Langston Hughes poem "Dream Variations": Langston Hughes (February 1, 1902 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, novelist, playwright, short story writer, and newspaper columnist. ...

Rest at pale evening...

A tall slim tree...

Night coming tenderly

Black like me.

Account of the trip

In the autumn of 1959, John Howard Griffin checked into the Monteleone Hotel, located at 214 Royal Street in New Orleans, Louisiana. Once there, under the care of a dermatologist, Griffin underwent a regimen of large oral doses of the anti-vitiligo drug Oxsoralen and spending up to fifteen hours daily under an ultraviolet lamp. (Vitiligo is a disease that causes lightening of the skin and is most common among people of African ancestry.) Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... NOLA redirects here. ... Official language(s) de jure: none de facto: English & French Capital Baton Rouge Largest city New Orleans [1] Area  Ranked 31st  - Total 51,885 sq mi (134,382 km²)  - Width 130 miles (210 km)  - Length 379 miles (610 km)  - % water 16  - Latitude 29°N to 33°N  - Longitude 89°W... Vitiligo (IPA ) or leukoderma is a chronic skin condition that causes loss of pigment, resulting in irregular pale patches of skin. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ...

To complete the illusion, Griffin used dyes to cover uneven areas and closely cropped his hair.^[2]

During his trip Griffin made it a rule that he would not change his name or alter his identity; if asked who he was or what he was doing, he would tell the truth. In the beginning, he decided to talk as little as possible^[3] to ease his transition into the "black world", i.e., the social milieu of southern U.S. blacks.

After disguising himself many people who knew John Howard Griffin as a white man did not recognize him. A shoeshine man in the French Quarter, a man whom Griffin regarded as a friend, made no connection with his looks now that he was black. The only way the Shoeman realised it was Griffin was because he recognized his shoes, and Griffin opened up to him, explaining his research .^[4] French Quarter: upper Chartres street looking down towards Jackson Square and the spires of St. ...

New Orleans

A black counterman at a small restaurant chatted with Griffin about the difficulties of finding a place to go to the bathroom. He turned a question about a Catholic Church into a joke about "spending much of your time praying for a rest room".

An episode on the bus reveals the climate of the times. Griffin began to give his seat to a white lady on the bus, but disapproving looks from black passengers stopped him. He thought he had a momentary breakthrough with the lady, but she insulted him and began talking with other white passengers about "how uppity they are becoming".

Themes

From the entire experience, Griffin discovers that when people (in the book's case, Black people) are mistreated or deprived of rights they in turn do mischievous and bad things in order to manage their lives or to ease off the pain which they receive from their abuses, such as killing, drinking, drugs, etc. Because their acts are considered bad, those who inflict the pain on them (in the book's case, racist White people) only hate them even more and thus, gives the reasons of why segregation and racism continue to go on, even to this day.

Backlash

After the publication of the book Griffin was vilified; he was hanged in effigy in his home town and threatened with death. However the book earned him international respect as a human rights activist. After its publication, he became a leading advocate in the Civil Rights Movement and did much to promote awareness of racial situations. The effigy of John Gower in Southwark Cathedral, London. ... Human rights are rights which some hold to be inalienable and belonging to all humans. ... Activism, in a general sense, can be described as intentional action to bring about social or political change. ... Historically, the civil rights movement was a period of time around the world of approximately one generation (1954–1980) wherein there was much worldwide civil unrest and popular rebellion. ...

Not only did many hate filled people hang his effigy in the town center, they also sent many negative letters threatening to kill him if he didn't recall his book. However, the few positive letters that he receieved helped him get through this challenging period in his life.

Latter effects of Oxsoralen

It has been claimed that the large doses of Oxsoralen John Howard Griffin used in 1959 led to his death in 1980 at age 60 from skin cancer. However, Griffin never had skin cancer; the only negative symptoms he suffered because of the drug were temporary and minor. The worst, arguably, were lassitude and nausea.^[5] This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... Skin cancer is a malignant growth on the skin which can have many causes. ... “Fatigue (physical)” redirects here. ... For other uses, see Nausea (disambiguation). ...

Griffin had suffered from a myriad of health problems for much of his adult life: in addition to a severe head injury he suffered in World War II, Griffin contracted malaria, which attacked his spine and temporarily paralyzed him. He later contracted both diabetes and osteomyelitis. In 1976, Griffin suffered a heart attack during a lecture tour; he would suffer several more in the final four years of his life.^[6] Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Malaria is a vector-borne infectious disease caused by protozoan parasites. ... The vertebral column seen from the side Different regions (curvatures) of the vertebral column The vertebral column (backbone or spine) is a column of vertebrae situated in the dorsal aspect of the abdomen. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about the disease that features high blood sugar. ... Osteomyelitis is an infection of bone, usually caused by pyogenic bacteria or mycobacteria. ... Year 1976 Pick up sticks(MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Acute myocardial infarction (AMI or MI), more commonly known as a heart attack, is a disease state that occurs when the blood supply to a part of the heart is interrupted. ...

Editions

USA

• John Howard Griffin (1961). Black Like Me. Houghton Mifflin. LCCN 61005368. 
• John Howard Griffin (1962). Black Like Me. Signet Books. ISBN 0-451-09703-3. 
• John Howard Griffin (1977). Black Like Me. Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-395-25102-8. 
  • 2nd Edition, with an epilogue by the author.
• John Howard Griffin (1996). Black Like Me: 35th Anniversary Edition. Signet. ISBN 0-451-19203-6. 
  • With an epilogue by the author and a new afterword by Robert Bonazzi. Library-bound printing is ISBN 0-88103-599-8
• John Howard Griffin (1999). Black Like Me. Buccaneer Books. ISBN 1-56849-730-X. 
• John Howard Griffin (2003). Black Like Me. New American Library Trade. ISBN 0-451-20864-1. 
• John Howard Griffin (2004). Black like me: the definitive Griffin estate edition, corrected from original manuscripts. Wings Press. ISBN 0-930324-72-2. 
  • New edition. With a foreword by Studs Terkel, historic photographs by Don Rutledge, and an afterword by Robert Bonazzi. Library-bound printing is ISBN 0-930324-73-0

John Howard Griffin (June 16, 1920 - September 9, 1980) was a white journalist and author who wrote largely in favor of racial equality. ... John Howard Griffin (June 16, 1920 - September 9, 1980) was a white journalist and author who wrote largely in favor of racial equality. ... John Howard Griffin (June 16, 1920 - September 9, 1980) was a white journalist and author who wrote largely in favor of racial equality. ... John Howard Griffin (June 16, 1920 - September 9, 1980) was a white journalist and author who wrote largely in favor of racial equality. ... John Howard Griffin (June 16, 1920 - September 9, 1980) was a white journalist and author who wrote largely in favor of racial equality. ... John Howard Griffin (June 16, 1920 - September 9, 1980) was a white journalist and author who wrote largely in favor of racial equality. ... John Howard Griffin (June 16, 1920 - September 9, 1980) was a white journalist and author who wrote largely in favor of racial equality. ... Louis Studs Terkel (born May 16, 1912) is an American author, historian and broadcaster. ...

UK

• John Howard Griffin (1962). Black Like Me. Collins. 
• John Howard Griffin (1962). Black Like Me. The Catholic Book Club. 
• John Howard Griffin (1962). Black Like Me. Grafton Books. ISBN 0-586-02482-4.  (repeatedly reprinted under same ISBN)
• John Howard Griffin (1964). Black Like Me. Panther. ISBN 0-586-02824-2. 

John Howard Griffin (June 16, 1920 - September 9, 1980) was a white journalist and author who wrote largely in favor of racial equality. ... John Howard Griffin (June 16, 1920 - September 9, 1980) was a white journalist and author who wrote largely in favor of racial equality. ... John Howard Griffin (June 16, 1920 - September 9, 1980) was a white journalist and author who wrote largely in favor of racial equality. ... John Howard Griffin (June 16, 1920 - September 9, 1980) was a white journalist and author who wrote largely in favor of racial equality. ...

References

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) [1] is an online database of information about actors, movies, television shows, television stars and video games. ...

See also

• American Civil Rights Movement (1896-1954)
• American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968)
• Timeline of the American Civil Rights Movement
• The Lowest of the Low (German: Ganz unten), a similar book about Turks in Germany written by Günter Wallraff

See also: American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968) The civil rights movement in the United States has been a long, primarily nonviolent struggle to bring full civil rights and equality under the law to all Americans. ... Martin Luther King is perhaps most famous for his I Have a Dream speech, given in front of the Lincoln Memorial during the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom This article is about the civil rights movement following the Brown v. ... This is a timeline of the American Civil Rights Movement. ... Günter Wallraff (born October 1, 1942 in Burscheid near Cologne) is a German writer and undercover journalist. ...

External links

• Sparknotes summary
• Black Like Me Study Guide at TheBestNotes.com
• Black Like Me at the Internet Movie Database