Just like any other nonracist individual you are curious as to why others treat, act and believe in what they do towards African Americans. The author and main character, John Howard Griffin, in Black Like me, did the unthinkable. As someone who was searching out to understand the black experience he did just that. As the author undergoes medical treatment that ultimately changes his skin color to become an African American, he travels to New Orleans shortly before the 13th amendment was ratified. As the other expects, he encounters hardships which include oppression, insults and prejudice as well as the term, “nigger” while walking down the street on a normal day. As if New Orleans wasn’t bad enough, our author John Griffin decides to travel to the deep south, encountering white bullies who attack chase and attack him for his skin color. It appears it was a hobby of their, to be honest. …show more content…
This led John on a trip to his friend in Mississippi who was a newspaperman and eventually wrote about Johns experience as well. Because of the hardships in the south, Griffin was unable to find a solid job because of his skin color. He was only allowed to use colored only bathrooms, which were increasingly rundown compared to white only restrooms. All and all, our author had a dreadful experience as an African American in the south do to uneducated racist who believed that “niggers” were land and had no right to use the same restrooms, or vote or marry whites. With that conclusion, it must have been devastating living a life like that, especially for those who were of the African American