Anthea Wynn

Josephine Baker, born Freda Josephine McDonald in St. Louis, Missouri, rose to international stardom as a dancer, singer, and actress, primarily in Europe. Her career began in the United States with vaudeville revues like "Shuffle Along" before she found immense success in Paris in the late 1920s. Her performances, particularly at the Folies Bergère, where she famously donned a skirt made of artificial bananas, became iconic symbols of the Jazz Age and the Roaring Twenties. Baker was celebrated by artists and intellectuals, earning her numerous epithets.

Beyond her artistic achievements, Baker was a significant figure in civil rights and humanitarian efforts. She became a French national, renounced her U.S. citizenship, and adopted twelve children, whom she raised as her "Rainbow Tribe." During World War II, she actively assisted the French Resistance and intelligence services, receiving multiple honors for her bravery. She refused to perform for segregated audiences in the U.S. and was offered leadership in the civil rights movement. In recognition of her profound impact, she was posthumously inducted into the Panthéon in Paris, the first Black woman to receive this distinction.

Born Freda Josephine McDonald in St. Louis, Josephine Baker's early life was marked by poverty and hardship. Her mother, Carrie, had mixed African American and Native American heritage. The circumstances of Josephine's birth are subject to speculation, with records indicating her mother was admitted to an exclusively white hospital during segregation, leading to theories that her father was a white employer. Living in a low-income, racially mixed neighborhood, Josephine experienced hunger and developed street smarts. She began working as a domestic at age eight and later as a waitress. Witnessing racial violence in East St. Louis profoundly impacted her. By age twelve, she had left school, and by thirteen, she was married and working as a street performer, eventually joining the Jones Family Band. Her teenage years were also marked by a difficult relationship with her mother and an early marriage that ended quickly.

Josephine Baker's entertainment career took flight in New York City during the Harlem Renaissance. She performed at the Plantation Club and joined the chorus of the groundbreaking Broadway revue "Shuffle Along" in 1921, where she distinguished herself with comedic ad-libs. After "The Chocolate Dandies," Baker was recruited for the "Revue Nègre," which toured Europe. She arrived in Paris in 1925, making her debut at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in "La Revue nègre," performing a daring "Danse Sauvage" that captivated audiences. Her success was instantaneous, fueled by her erotic performances and daring costumes, including the legendary banana skirt at the Folies Bergère. She became a sensation, embraced by Parisian society and celebrated as a symbol of the Jazz Age.

Josephine Baker's influence extended far beyond the stage. She became a French citizen, embracing her new home and adopting twelve children from diverse backgrounds, whom she called her "Rainbow Tribe." During World War II, she actively supported the French Resistance and worked with British and American intelligence agencies, though the extent of her involvement was not widely known until decades later. Her wartime contributions earned her the Resistance Medal, the Croix de Guerre, and the title Chevalier of the Legion of Honour. Baker was a staunch advocate for civil rights, famously refusing to perform for segregated audiences in the United States. She was offered a leadership role in the American civil rights movement after Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination but declined out of concern for her children. Her enduring legacy was cemented when she became the first Black woman to be interred in the Panthéon in Paris in 2021.

“I have two loves: my country and Paris.”