October 28, 1959: James Howard Griffin wonders what it would be like if he was a black man. There has been an increase in suicides committed by southern black people. He realizes that the only way to understand what is going on is to become a black guy. Realizing the only way to truly experience the discrimination that African Americans face in the South is to become a black person, he decides he must do this.
October 29, 1959: James Howard Griffin goes to talk to the owner (George Levitan) and editorial director (Adelle Jackson) of Sepia, a magazine whose audience consists predominately of black people. Both Mr. Levitan and Mrs. Jackson think this idea is very dangerous, but they are willing to help. Griffin tells his wife his plan when he…show more content… He stops and grabs breakfast at café. Black people are friendly towards him. Griffin talks to a guy who tells him that he could stay at the YMCA and that finding places to pee is difficult and inconvenient. James leaves the café and gets on a bus. He almost gives up his seat to an old lady but realizes that would have only been polite if he was white. It in fact would going against his race. James Howard Griffin hasn’t completely acclimated to being black yet. A white woman yells at him for looking at her. Later, Griffin gets off the bus at Canal Street. He ambles around the French Quarter until he decides to go to the shoeshine stand where Sterling Williams works. At first, Sterling didn’t recognize Griffin. When he almost done shining Griffin’s shoes, he recognizes that they were the shoes of James Howard Griffin. When Griffin tells Sterling that he is Griffin, Sterling is dumbfounded. He takes James under his wing and teaches him how to be a black person. Sterling tells Griffin to shave his hands because black people don’t have blond arm hair. After a while, Sterling forgets that Griffin is white and talks to him like he is a fellow African-American. Some black woman flirts with Griffin while he is talking to Sterling. The guy who runs the shoeshine shop, Joe, comes over and fixes lunch for the Griffin, Sterling, and himself. There is a beggar that wants some of the food. Griffin
