Tribute to Josephine Baker, Black French-American Icon and the First Black Woman to Enter the Pantheon [fr]
A Destiny that Goes Beyond the Borders
- Portrait of Josephine Baker in 1940
- Studio Harcourt – RMN
As a dancer and a singer, Josephine Baker disrupted conventions and broke down boundaries, making progress and emancipation possible for all.
A symbol of the Jazz Age and the Harlem Renaissance which she brought to Europe, Josephine was an iconic figure of the Roaring Twenties that enflamed imaginations and forever impacted the French music hall and world nightlife in Latin America, the Caribbean and beyond. She fascinated Cubists, Fauvists, and Surrealists, and posed for Picasso, Man Ray, Kees Van Donne, or Jean Cocteau, as well as renowned fashion designers like Christian Dior or Pierre Balmain.
Her Fights for Civil Rights
- Josephine Baker, March on Washington, August, 28, 1963
- Faire use image
By refusing to perform in racially segregated theaters, staying in the finest hotels and eating in the best restaurants, Josephine wanted to show that skin color did not imply differential treatment and was no obstacle to wealth and fame.
On August 28, 1963, Josephine Baker took part in the Civil Rights March in Washington D.C. where she proudly wore her French Forces uniform. She was the only woman to be officially invited there. A French citizen since 1937, she addressed the crowds that had gathered at the National Mall with Daisy Bates and Martin Luther King, Jr, right before he delivered "I have a dream" speech. Baker spoke of the freedom enjoyed in France where public places were not segregated.
In 1951, in Los Angeles, she had a man arrested because he did not want to “be in the same room as a negro woman”. The same year, the NAACP declared May 20th as “Josephine Baker Day”.
Baker in a Fight for Justice, Shattering Ceilings in Miami
- Historical File - Josephine Baker
- Consulate General of France, Miami (PDF - 3.6 Mb)
In 1951, the Copa City Club invited her after a tour in Latin America, yet Josephine refused to sign contracts with venues that were segregated. She convinced the then jewel of Miami Beach’s roaring nightlife to open its premises to all. Baker’s shows in Miami were a great success and the start of a new social life for the communities of the city.
The Star and the Art Deco Movement
- Josephine Baker sits with her pet cheetah, Chiquita, 1931
- Transcendental Graphics—Getty Images
Josephine Baker’s fashion style was revolutionary – accompanied by a cheetah on a leash or sitting high up a giant birdcage covered with peacock feathers. Everything about her was disruptive and fascinating. In 1926, her show at the Folies Bergère made a lasting impression when she performed wearing nothing but a banana belt. She played with stereotypes and used them with humour. Thanks to her unique personality, she was at the same time known as “the Black Pearl”, “La Belle Joséphine” or the “Creole Goddess”.
Her boldness and sense of glamour resonated with the new Art Deco movement with its equally revolutionary architecture inspired by bold and colorful geometric shapes. Art Deco was a perfect representation of the modern urban life and is now part of the heritage of Miami Beach.
- Josephine Baker at the Folies Bergere 1926
- Lucien Walery
At the Heart of the French Resistance
- Josephine Baker wearing an uniform
- Studio Harcourt - RMN
During World War II, Josephine Baker joined the French Resistance hiding underground fighters and Jews in the Château des Milandes in the Périgord region. She became a pilot for the French Forces Libres in Morocco and concealed information in her musical scores that she passed on to the Allies. She was awarded the Legion of Honor and the Médaille de la Résistance, upon the Liberation.
Baker, the Mother-in-Chief of a Rainbow Tribe
Her humanist philosophy spilled over into her private life. Starting in 1953, Josephine Baker built a utopian family by adopting twelve children from all over the world, which gave people food for thought in the 50s and 60s. The Rainbow Tribe was the realization of the anti-racial, peaceful dream of Martin Luther King Jr’s universal brotherhood.
Rediscover the "Josephine Baker, the Resistante" presentation of the webinar organized by the World Affairs Council of Miami and the Consulate General of France in Miami.
More than an artist, Josephine Baker was a humanist, a rebel, a fighter, but also an influencer and fundraiser.
Click here to watch the replay of the webinar
- (PDF - 1.2 Mb)
The Mother-in-Chief of a Rainbow Tribe
- Josephine Baker, her husband Jo Bouillon and their children at the Castle of the Milandes
- Collection Roger-Viollet
Her humanist philosophy spilled over into her private life. Starting in 1953, Josephine Baker built a utopian family by adopting twelve children from all over the world, which gave people food for thought in the 50s and 60s. The Rainbow Tribe was the realization of the anti-racial, peaceful dream of Martin Luther King Jr’s universal brotherhood.
Events in Miami
Ahead of the National Homage in France (on Nov. 30, 2021), Miami celebrated Joséphine Baker in October and November 2021:
- On Oct. 26, 2021 at 7:00 PM - The series of events celebrating the great Joséphine Baker in Miami started at Books & Books at Coral Gables with Terri Francis, author of "Joséphine Baker’s Cinematic Prism", who presented her book and discussed with Consul general, Laurent Gallissot, about the artist on the big screen. Indeed, Ms. Baker was the first Black actress starring in major motion pictures!
- On Nov. 9, 2021 at 3:00 PM, just before Veterans Day, Lynare Robbins from the organization World Affairs Council Miami talked with Consul general Laurent Gallissot about the incomparable role that Joséphine Baker played during WWII.
- Replay:
- On Nov. 19, 2021, 4:00PM, a documentary produced by the TV Channel Arte called “The story of an awakening” was screened online in the U.S. with an introduction made by two students of University of Florida who worked closely with UF Associate Professor, Alioune Sow, to that end.
- Replay
- On Nov. 23, 2021- an online conference organized by the Alliance française Miami Metro focusing on Joséphine Baker and her legacy in “Le Paris Noir” by Kévi Donat (who leads Le Paris Noir, a series of guided tours through the City of Light with a focus on Black culture) was done.
Since 2013, Kévi Donat has been tracing the steps of icons such as James Baldwin, Frantz Fanon, Josephine Baker, and Cheikh Anta Diop. With a Master degree in political studies and inspired by the legacy of these great figures, Donat engages in conversations about identity and France’s colonial past with both native Parisians and tourists. Donat also co-hosts Le Tchip, a podcast about how race and pop culture interact with one another.
Replay
- On Nov. 28, 2021, a special one-night only celebration at the National Hotel in Miami Beach.
Click here to relive this wonderful event.
Keep Inspiring by Celebrating and Recognizing
- Le Panthéon - Paris
Josephine Baker should be recognized as the positive change maker that she was. Although her achievements and convictions are well known, authorities and officials have taken time to acknowledge how significant her impact has been. For instance, not a lot of public places bear her name, unlike some other famous figures, except for the Josephine Baker Boulevard in Saint Louis, Missouri, and a few other places in France.
But it seems that things are changing: her unique destiny, courage and talent keep inspiring younger generations of artists and activists.
France has recently decided that she will enter the Panthéon in Paris on Nov. 30, 2021. The monument is a true symbol of the French Republic and welcomes illustrious figures who made their mark in the country’s history such as inventors, writers and Human Rights activists. She will be the first black woman to rest in this prestigious French Memorial alongside five other distinguished women: Sophie Berthelot, Marie Curie, Geneviève de Gaulle-Anthonioz, Germaine Tillion and Simone Veil.
In January or February 2022, a "Josephine Baker" pavilion will be inaugurated. The transformation of this ’Bridge Tender House’, one of two stainless steel structures originally placed at either end of the NW 27th Avenue Bridge, is significant because it mirrors the bridge that Josephine was between the United States and Europe.
The placement of a commemorative plaque in front of the Wolfsonian Museum in Miami Beach and the inauguration of this event with representatives of Miami Dade County encourages other cities to pay her a deserving tribute.
To visit the museum’s website, click here.
Other recognitions following the series of events organized by the French Consulate in Miami:
On October 25, the Miami-Dade County government created the first-ever "Josephine Baker Award" to honor the artistic talent of local black dance companies. The award will provide the recipient with the opportunity to complete a residency (free of charge) at one of the art centers operated by the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs.
Similarly, on October 27, the City of Miami Beach voted and proclaimed November 28, 2021 as "Josephine Baker Day" in the city.
Upon the decision of Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson, this Proclamation was made the subject of a "Congressional Record" by the U.S. House of Representatives; it underlines the importance of this Proclamation and commemorates the 70th anniversary of the breakthrough it spurred in demanding the lifting of segregationist rules that prohibited people of color from attending concerts in Miami Beach. The decision will be housed in the Library of Congress in Washington, DC.
To visit the museum’s website, click here.
Learn more:
PRINT & WEB MEDIA:
Tribute to Josephine Baker coming to Miami Beach, 70 years after her stand for civil rights
Miami Beach to Celebrate Star and ’Rule Breaker’ Josephine Baker -
Tribute At The National Hotel Coincides with Paris Honor
PODCASTS & DOCUMENTARIES:
- Josephine Baker, {The Toast of Paris}, Stuff You Missed in History Class, Stitcher (an iHeart podcast)
- Joséphine Baker: The 1st Black Superstar, JosephineBakerTube, © Forget About It Film & TV, for BBC Wales. 2006.
- Josephine Baker, You’re Dead to Me New Series, BBC Radio 4
- Historical File - Josephine Baker
- Consulate General of France, Miami (PDF - 3.6 Mb)