It is Women's History Month, so let's celebrate women in French history who also affected those outside of France.
"I wasn't really naked. I simply didn't have any clothes on."
Josephine Baker, is an African-American woman from St. Louis, MO, who went on to become an international star and a French spy.
Freda Josephine McDonald was born in St. Louis, MO. on 3 June, 1906. In those days, black babies were born at home with midwives in attendance; Josephine was born in a hospital that serviced the white population, which has led to some speculation as to who her biological father was. However, Josephines' mother, Carrie Mc Donald claims that Josephine's father was Eddie Carson, a vaudeville drummer.
Josephine grew up working cleaning the houses and babysitting for white families in St Louis. Her first marriage came when she was 13 and lasted less than a year. Josephine's second marriage was to Willie Baker when she was just 15. Her vaudeville career was just taking off, and although she divorced Willie in 1925, Josephine kept that name and used it throughout her career.
When she got to Paris, Josephine opened in La Revue Negre at the tender age of 19 years. Here she developed her infamous "danse sauvage" in which she appeared in a skirt made of artificial bananas (and not much else) and became an instant success.
Josephine soon became the most successful American entertainer working in France. She traveled with exotic animals, and was popular wherever she went.
Except the United States. Still in the grip of racism and Jim Crow, Josephine's performances were panned because they couldn't grasp the idea of a Negro woman with class and sophistication. When she returned to France, Josephine married Jean Lion, became a French citizen, renouncing her American citizenship.
When World War II broke out, Josephine Baker was recruited by the French Resistance as an honorable correspondent. She used her position as a famous entertainer to attend parties and collect information and other vital data about German and Italian troop positions. When she traveled to North Africa, ostensibly for her health, Josephine took important information over borders hidden in her sheet music and often pinned in her underwear. After the war, Josephine was honored by the French government, receiving the Croix de Guerre, and the Rosette de Resistance. Charles de Gaulle made her Chevalier of the Legion d'Honneur because of her work for the free French.
Josephine was never able to have children of her own, having suffered several miscarriages. All told, she adopted 12 children from all over the world, calling them her "Rainbow Tribe". At this time, Josephine was living at her chateau Milandes in the Dordogne region.
Later in her life, Josephine was active in the American Civil Rights movement and spoke at the March on Washington in 1963 with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Often beset with financial troubles, Josephine Baker lost her chateau, She continued to perform on stage at the Olympia in Paris, Carnegie Hall in New York, and the Palladium in London. She died on April 12, 1975 from a cerebral hemorrhage, and is buried in the Cimitiere de Monaco, in Monaco.
In a world where women of color were relegated to being housekeepers and babysitters; when entertainers of color had to enter through the back door and refused service in the venues where they performed, Josephine Baker blazed a path that took her from the streets of St. Louis to the heights of popularity.
For more information about this legend:
http://www.cmgww.com/stars/baker/about/biography.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josephine_Baker
http://www.milandes.com/gb/
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