John Howard Griffin (June 16, 1920 - September 9, 1980) was a noted 20th century American writer best known for his critically acclaimed Black Like Me, an account of his journeys through the Deep South while disguised as an African-American. For many years he was under consideration for the Nobel Prize in Literature, but he was not awarded it.

Griffin's two major novels, The Devil Rides Outside and Nuni , were written during a period of blindness between 1947 and 1957. This ten-year blindness was the result of injuries sustained during service in World War II.

In the autumn of 1959, Griffin used dyes, medication and ultraviolet light to dramatically darken his skin. He then spent a little over a month traveling across the Deep South and immersing himself in Southern black society, writing of his experiences along the way. His despairing tale of his treatment by whites as a "tenth class citizen" was first published as a series of articles by Sepia magazine; in 1961, it was published in book form as Black Like Me.

Throughout his life, Griffin lectured and wrote on race relations and social justice.

External link

• Article about Griffin by the Texas State Historical Association and the University of Texas at Austin
• Dispute of the belief that Griffin died from his skin darkening treatments (from Snopes.com)