In the novel Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin, Griffin is a white man who underwent surgery to change his skin color to black in order to gain insight first hand. in the life of a Negro. This novel is set in the 1950s and Griffin travels through various southern states and discovers the true power of racism against black people. During this period of travel, Griffin stopped in Mississippi where he truly realized what it meant to be a Negro. Griffin found it difficult to understand the level of tension when it came to racial prejudice in Mississippi because the tension was so great. He was also able to realize the deep connection that black people had as a race, as the majority of black people all had the same or similar experiences with racial prejudice. His novel was inspired by his experiences in Mississippi and was written in detail to give the reader a true sense of the racial tensions he experienced in the southern states. Griffin's first encounter with racism took place at a bus stop in Mississippi. The driver stopped to give the bus passengers a ten-minute break. The white people got up and got off the bus first and while Griffin and his companion Bill tried to get the black people off, the driver got in their way. Bill ignores the driver and slides under him because he had to go to the bathroom. The driver stops Bill and doesn't allow him to get off the bus. In an instant, the blacks sit back in their seats, knowing that it would be pointless to try to leave for their break. The driver was mean and rude and asked Bill to get back on the bus. The driver denied them their human rights. The driver then goes further in his assault by making the black people on the bus urinate and poop. Not only in the middle...... in the middle of paper......d. Supporting each other and creating friendships with other black people seemed to ease the pain. They found balance in their hostile world through words of kindness and compassion. Griffin realized the mental strength black people must have to be so calm and collective while the rest of the world spits in their face for being half a human being. At the end of Griffin's journey through the South, he remains in awe and disbelief about how blacks were treated. He went out of his way to undertake a dangerous task to open his readers' eyes to topics such as racial prejudice and civil rights. The racial tension and ignorance he faced made him aware of the horrors black people faced daily. Through his novel, he exposes the South and its unjust ways, while educating the distraught public about the real situations black people face daily..