Junius Griffin was born in Stonega, Virginia on January 13th, 1929 (although various Army documents state his date of birth as 1926). Griffin enrolled at Bluefield College in West Virginia at age 16. A year later he joined the Army Air Corps Reserves and, eventually, joined the United States Marine Corps where he served for several years.

During his military career, Griffin was employed as a staff writer and photographer for the “Pacific Stars and Stripes,” a newspaper that reported on matters related to the United States Armed Forces. He worked as a reporter in Tokyo and the Philippines, and was later promoted to Bureau Chief in Taipei, Taiwan.

In 1962 Griffin left the armed services alleging financial difficulties and moved to New York City, where he was hired as a reporter for The Associated Press. He wrote for the series "The Deepening Crisis," which documented racial inequalities and a growing Civil Rights movement in the United States. The series was published from July 28 to August 9, 1963, and was subsequently nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in Journalism. Griffin later worked as a general assignment reporter for The New York Times.

Since many of Griffin's assignments for The Associated Press and The New York Times included Martin Luther King, Jr.’s marches and conventions, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference asked him to serve as a public relations aide to the organization from 1965 to 1967. Griffin’s job was to write press statements, help create monthly newsletters and aid in writing King's speeches. After King’s death Griffin worked for Motown Records producing recordings of King's speeches. The recording “Why I Oppose the War in Vietnam” won a Grammy Award in 1970.

Griffin retired from Motown Records in 1982 as vice-president of public relations. He returned to school to earn a Bachelor of Science in English Literature, a Master of Science in American Studies and a Ph.D. in English. Griffin taught for a while in Michigan before becoming Virginia’s Emory and Henry College Scholar in Residence until 2001. He died of heart problems on June 1st, 2005, in St. Helena Island, South Carolina.