John Howard Griffin, American author, photographer, and journalist, was best known for his six-week diary of a journey into oblivion, Black Like Me (1961). He was born the second son of John Walter and Lena May on June 16, 1920 in Mansfield, Texas. Griffin had thought for years about how a white man had to change to pass as black and, in November 1959, he finally decided to do so. try it, exposing yourself to ultraviolet lights and ingesting pigmentation pills to darken your skin. After five days, the transformation was complete and Griffin was ready to venture into "oblivion". Griffin attended R.L. Paschal High School until the age of 15, when he left America in search of a classical education. After responding to a newspaper ad, Griffin and his family were surprised to find that he had been offered a scholarship at the private boys' school in France, the Lycée Descartes. Although he spoke no French, Griffin convinced his parents to let him go. Having grown up with racist ideology in Texas, he was surprised to see white students having lunch with blacks and began to question the racial segregation practiced during that time. Southern states of the USA Griffin subsequently studied French and literature at the University of Poitiers and then medicine at the École de Médecine, as well as studying as an intern under the direction of Dr. Pierre Fromenty at the Tours Asylum (France), conducting experiments on using music as therapy for criminally insane people. Griffin's experience of non-racism in France helped him discover the great racial hatred manifested in the United States of America and inspired in him a commitment to understanding racism. At age 19, Griffin served as a doctor in the underground...... middle of paper ...... won the Saturday Review Anisfield Wolf Award for Black Like Me, the Christian Culture Series Award, as well as receiving two honorary doctorates from the university. Some of his quotes include "He who is less than righteous is less than a man."; “How can you render the duties of justice to men when they can destroy you?”; and “Every fool in error can find a supporting passage of Scripture.” John Howard Griffin was courageous in daring to deliberately confront racial discrimination. He wrote a number of other books on racial issues. He was often called upon to lecture on racism and its impact, and continued to be a controversial figure. Griffin died in September 1980, aged 60 from complications of diabetes and other health problems, but is still remembered for his books, particularly Black Like Me (1961), the story of his six weeks of discrimination..