The southern states of the United States have been dealing with racism for a very long time. To understand racism from a black person's perspective, John Howard Griffin decided to darken his skin and live as a black man in the south. "Black Like Me" themes were racism, the lack of unity among black people, the use of religion for protection against racism, and the role of the media in presenting racism to the public. While Griffin was able to resume life as a white man, many of his experience with racism from a black man's point of view stayed with him for life.
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The very basis of the book, "Black Like Me," was for Griffin to learn about life as a black man in the United States. One major theme that can be seen throughout the book is racism. By darkening his skin, Griffin had endured the humiliation, threats, and harassment as well as hateful stares from whites. According to the laws at the time, Griffin as a black man was unable to use the same restrooms as whites or enter cafés from the front like the white people. Furthering his hardship, Griffin is unable to find employment. Even white people who were not racists treated black people with disrespect by using words that were seen as patronizing such as the use of "boy" when talking to a black man. He found out there was racism within the black community as well. Griffin learned that many black people placed a higher value on light skin than dark skin. Finally, he had seen that there were black people who were racist against white people. While he was able to experience racism as a black man, Griffin quickly learned that the black community was not a united one.
Another theme that can be seen in "Black Like Me" is the lack of unity among some of the black communities. When Griffin points out this fact, one of the men replied, "Until we as a race can learn to rise together, we'll never get anywhere. That's our trouble. We work against one another instead of together." (Griffin 31) An example that the café-owner uses is how the white community can divide the black community based on the shade of a black person's skin. The café-owner pointed out that whites flattered the light-skinned blacks. As a result, the light skinned black people believe they are superior to dark-skinned blacks. However, Griffin was able to witness black people uniting to help each other when the bus driver refused to allow the black passengers off the bus in order to use the restroom. Besides skin color, religion was another way for the black community to unite and comfort each other.
Throughout "Black Like Me," Christianity was one major protection against racism. While he was in New Orleans, Louisiana, Griffin happened to walks near a Catholic Church. The lights and smell of the church were so inviting to him that he nearly went inside in order to sleep in a pew. He learned from a black Reverend later that New Orleans, since the Catholic Church had a huge influence on the city, is considered to be one of the least racist cities in the South. Many of the churches in New Orleans welcome both blacks and whites. Unfortunately, he had a racist experience which led him to take refuge within a monastery owned by Trappist monks. As with the Catholic Churches, the Trappist monks welcomed both whites and blacks into their facilities. Griffin, being a Christian, believed that if the religious followers practiced their religion properly then that the religion can protect people from racism as well as become a weapon against it.
Griffin points out that it is the duty of the media to tell society the truth about what is happening with regards to racism even if it affects them on a personal level. Two journalists that Griffin had high regards for were Ralph McGill in Atlanta and P.D. East of Hattiesburg, Mississippi. McGill and East both used their newspaper in order to bring the facts to the public about society's race issues. Griffin believed that the media had an obligation to tell the truth to the public regardless if the public wanted to read it or not. Through his book, "Black Like Me," Griffin was able to tell the public about his experience as a black man in the South. However, it came at a great cost to him and his family. Since he told the truth about racism, Griffin's community ostracized him; he received death threats, and the Ku Klux Klan had beaten him. Despite the hardship he faced after publishing his book, Griffin's book continues to have a positive impact on society.
While the events in "Black Like Me" happened several years ago, racism is still alive and well in the South. However, It is not as widespread as in the past. Despite laws which give black people the same rights as white people and the fact that the world is becoming more global, there are still people around who go out of their way to make others feel unwelcome in society. In Statesboro, Georgia, many black students from Georgia Southern are sometimes turned away from bars because of the color of their skin. Bar owners use other techniques such as clothing violations or telling black students that the bar has reached capacity. Black people are still getting harassed by whites in Statesboro, Georgia while attending Georgia Southern. Derogatory names such as the "n-word" are still being said by whites to black people.
There is still some black racism towards whites seen as well. However, black people tend to be more cautious about racism given the recent police shootings of unarmed black males. Moreover, there is still racism within the black community as well. As in the past, today black people still prefer lighter skinned over dark skinned but it is not strong a preference as it was in the past.
John Howard Griffin's "Black Like Me," was a great and necessary social experiment. Griffin gave many people a lot of insight on how black people handled the racism. While it is not as strong as it was in the past, racism is still around today. Laws have changed as well as society. However, some people seem to be stuck in the past with their ideas of racial superiority.
Works Cited
Griffin, John H. Black Like Me. New York: Signet, 2010. Print.
