John Howard Griffin
John Howard is the narrator and the writer of the story Black like me. In the year 1959, John decided to change his skin color for a short period of time in order to see what the blacks had to go through in a society dominated by the idea of segregation. John is a middle-aged man, a writer who does well financially but he is tormented by the things black people have to go through. John represents a small minority who tries to change the way the American society see colored people and who wants to help them. But John admits that he doesn’t understand through what black people have to go through because he never had to experience such treatment. John changes drastically after he returns to his life as a white person and in a way he feels as if he betrayed the black community by taking the easy way out.
P.D. East
Just like John, P.D. East is a man militating for the rights of the black people. East is a newspaperman and John admires him greatly for the work he has done and for the fact that he is not afraid to against what society thinks. East offers John a place to stay for a few days and the time John spends with East makes him even more determined to continue with his project. Just like John, East wrote a book about the black cause and in a way he is a mentor to John. Despite being a source of encouragement for Jon, East also didn’t hesitate to tell John about the dangers of writing about black related subjects and told him to be prepared to be persecuted for his ideas.
George Levitan
George is a wealthy white business man who had the same ideas as John Howard and P.D. East. In comparison with them, George managed to maintain a positive relationship with both the whites and the blacks and he was not criticized for his ideas and for his fight against racism. George offers to help John when he is in need and George encourages John to follow his dreams but also to not forget that his actions will provoke a certain response from both the black community and the white one.
Sterling Williams
Sterling is the first black man John makes contact with after he changes his skin color. Sterling helps John finds his place in the black community and tells him more about their way of living. Sterling is a shoe-shiner and for a few days John works alongside him to make some money and to see how the blacks are treated by the white population. Living in New Orleans, Sterling had to deal with racist ideas and with living in a segregated world but despite all this, he maintained a positive outlook on the world.
Adele Jackson
Adele works for the newspaper Sepia as an editor. She doesn’t have the same racial views as other white people and she tries as well to help the black community. Adele also warns John that he will be treated negatively by the white community after they find about his project and tells him to be prepared for that.
Cristopf
Cristopf is a black man who seems to have forsaken his own kind and tries to make himself into something that he is not. Just like the other white people around him, Cristoph has racist views and looks down on other black people. Cristopf sees the other black people as being ignorant and uneducated even though he is just the same as them.
John’s family
While their name never appears, John Howard Griffin mentions a couple of times his family, namely his wife and children. John’s family is very supportive of his ideas and encourage him to follow his calling and try and fight for the black rights. Unfortunately, John’s family is threated by white supremacists and they are forced to flee the country.
