Black Like Me Essay

786 Words4 Pages

Black Like Me" is a book that provides a powerful documentation of the racial discrimination that existed in the United States during the 1950s. The book recounts the experiences of John Howard Griffin, a white journalist who darkened his skin with the help of medication to travel through the Deep South disguised as a black man. The book is a catalog of oppression, listing and describing various difficulties and injustices that black Americans were routinely forced to endure during the time of Griffin's experience.

One of the most prominent injustices that Griffin encountered during his travels was segregation. The Jim Crow laws enforced segregation, and black Americans were not allowed to use the same public facilities …show more content…

Black Americans were often relegated to low-paying jobs and were denied access to better-paying positions. Many were forced to work in menial jobs, such as cleaning and cooking, and were paid lower wages than their white counterparts. Griffin witnessed the poverty and lack of opportunity that plagued the black communities he visited and noted that they were often subjected to substandard living conditions, which included poor housing and little access to medical care.

Griffin also encountered violence and racism during his travels. He was threatened and attacked by white supremacists, and he witnessed the brutal treatment of black Americans by law enforcement officials. Police brutality was commonplace, and black Americans were often targeted for harassment and abuse simply for being black. Griffin documented the fear and terror that many black Americans lived with every day, and noted that they had to be constantly vigilant and aware of their surroundings to avoid becoming victims of …show more content…

Racial segregation may no longer be legally enforced, but it still exists in many parts of the country, particularly in housing and education. Economic oppression and discrimination continue to be serious issues, with black Americans still experiencing higher rates of poverty and lower wages than their white counterparts. Police brutality and violence against black Americans are still major concerns, and the Black Lives Matter movement has highlighted the ongoing struggle for racial justice and equality. Black people are getting killed just because of the pigment of their skin. Whites fear black peoples because they think black people are always angry, or want to rob them, or just too“ghetto” but that isn’t true there are very amazing black peoples in this