Five quick facts about her amazing life
Casino de Paris, Louis Gaudin, 1930
Josephine Baker is one of the most well-known Black artist throughout the world and considered to be an integral part of the Harlem Renaissance. She grew up in St. Louis in the early 1900s, living a life of relative poverty. She began working at only eight years old and soon developed an insatiable independent spirit. Baker began her career in America as a dancer, having comedic side roles in Broadway and American theater but her fame skyrocketed when she visited France where the Parisian audience welcomed her enthusiastically.
Here are 5 facts about Josephine Baker:
1. Her contract has a nondiscrimination clause, meaning that her audience should be integrated despite their race.
2. She was a bisexual and had an affair with Frida Khalo.
3. She actively worked as a spy during World War II for the French Resistance.
4. She adopted 12 children and called her family the “Rainbow Tribe.”
5. Despite renouncing her American citizenship, she still actively fought for civil rights in America and even spoke at the March on Washington in 1963.
I used to be a big dancer when I was younger and Josephine Baker was, and will always be, my biggest role model. Her unapologetic and fearless nature is truly an aspect that I hope to have one day. I encourage everyone to learn more about Josephine Baker - there are fantastic, free documentaries on Youtube and I’ve heard only good things from her son’s book, “Josephine Baker: The Hungry Heart.”
And that’s art.