Topic > A Theme of Racism in Black Like Me by JH Griffin

The book Black Like Me is a non-fiction first published in October 1961 by a white journalist and author named John Howard Griffin chronicling his journey in the Deep South beginning in November 1959 after undergoing numerous skin treatments to temporarily change the color of his skin. Griffin's experiment began during a time when African Americans lived under racial segregation. In Black Like Me, there are many instances where Griffen is discriminated against and becomes “annoyed by those who love humanity but are rude to people.” The book received the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award a year after its publication to honor his important contributions to explaining racism and appreciating the rich diversity of human culture. Soon after, the book became a modern classic and sold ten million copies. It was such a success that it was translated into fourteen different languages ​​and made into a film. Even today, racial oppression exists, although it is not as overt as it appears in Black Like Me. Griffin's work is still a powerful historical experiment used across the nation in classroom teaching. In the year it was published, Newsweek described Griffin's work as "penetrating and memorable". The racism Griffin faced “was a small thing, but on top of other small things, it broke something in me.” Griffin faced racial discrimination when he left his home in Texas to travel the Deep South to places such as: New Orleans, Atlanta, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Griffin's goal was to experience firsthand the obstacles and hardships of being an African American in America so that he could better understand what life as an African American male was about and to find answers as to why the people believed it was okay to discriminate against someone solely based on the color of their skin. Griffin conducted this experiment aimed at making racists aware of their inhumane treatment of African Americans in hopes of changing social morality. As the book progresses, however, the profound changes he undergoes cause Griffin to learn at least as much about himself. The social message of Griffin's experience emerges through the book's narrative structure, which functions as a catalog of different forms of racial oppression in the United States. John Howard Griffin, born June 16, 1920, was an American journalist and author from Texas who strongly supported racial equality and depicted it through his writings. When he was in France, he noticed that blacks were not treated like they were in the Deep South, which made him want to learn more about racism, thus turning it into a famous and unforgettable social experiment. He is most famous for his Black Like Me project in which he sought to see life and segregation on the other side of the color line. The main theme of Black Like Me is the representation of the evil of racism. Racism was a big problem in the Deep South, and Griffin aimed to change that. Griffin describes how painful it is to face discrimination based on the color of one's skin. It shows the ugliness of racists and their personalities distorted by hate. The extraordinary personal change Griffin undergoes as a black man is a powerful testament to the crucial importance of race as a factor of identity in a racist society, where social hierarchy is largely determined by skin color. The social message of Griffin's experience emerges through the narrative structure of the book,.