Josephine Baker - Wonderful Woman No. 25

Josephine Baker - 1906-1975
African-American-French Singer, Dancer, Spy and Political Activist

Added to the album by a wonderful man called Owain.

A fascinating, amazing woman.
Owain

I have to agree with Owain's comment about Josephine Baker, fascinating is possibly the most accurate word to describe the lady who was at the forefront of so many events that changed the world. I have considered that it might be difficult to write about the suggested additions to the album, other people's influences and inspirations, often suggested without an explanation... I have no such worries about writing about this wonderful woman, a woman whose existence should be inspirational to all.

Born in the United States, with grandparents who had been enslaved, Josephine Baker (born Freda Josephine McDonald) had a turbulent early life. At the age of eight whilst still in school, she worked for a white woman who abused her by burning her hands for putting too much soap in the laundry. It was at a time that such appalling behaviour was tolerated - white woman good, black girl bad. At the age of twelve, Josephine had left school and was living on the streets of St. Louis, dancing on street corners for money to feed herself.

The most sensational woman I ever saw.
Ernest Hemmingway

It was whilst performing her street dances that her talent was spotted and she was recruited to work in a vaudeville show. She became hugely successful in the United States, billed as "The Highest Paid Chorus Girl in Vaudeville". In 1925, Josephine performed in Paris, France for the first time, opening at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. She became an overnight star in Paris and fitted well with the new-wave of art-deco culture following the Exposition des Arts Décoratifs, she modelled the look of the day and was considered a muse for the creatives of the time, such as Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Picasso, and Christian Dior. She adopted France as her homeland, later marrying a Frenchman and becoming a French citizen.

I swear in all my life I have never, and probably never shall see again, such a spectacular singer and performer."
Shirley Bassey, Another Wonderful Woman

By the outbreak of the second World War, Josephine was a dedicated French national and understood Hitler's stance on race, not only was she black, her French husband was also Jewish. She performed and frequented parties that were attended by German, Japanese and Italian political workers and supporters, none suspected that the star of the show they saw in a Parisian café would be reporting back to the French government any secrets she happened to have overheard. Later, when Paris was invaded by the Germans, Josephine fled Paris to her summer home in the south where she aided and homed Belgian refugees, her profession allowed her to continue to travel throughout neutral European countries and in this time, Josephine worked for the French Resistance by carrying secret documents written within her music sheets and pinned notes to her underwear. After the war, General Charles de Gaulle noted and thanked Josephine for her efforts with a number of military decorations.

You may think that after the war, Josephine had done her bit for making the world a better place and settled back into café culture performing... think again. During the 1950s, although still living in France, Josephine became actively involved in The Civil Rights Movement in the United States. When travelling to the U.S. to work, Josephine refused to perform in front of segregated audiences. She adopted twelve orphans of multiple ethnicities, she called her family The Rainbow Tribe. She publicly admonished a New York club owner for racist treatment against her, this was witnessed by actress Grace Kelly, who supported her claim and later became a great friend to Josephine. In 1963, Martion Luther King made his legendary I Have A Dream speech at The Great March on Washington, the only woman to speak at the rally was Josephine . Indeed, after the assassination of Martin Luther King, his window asked Josephine to become the leader of the campaign (though Josephine declined saying her adopted children were too young to lose their mother).

I'm not intimidated by anyone. Everyone is made with two arms, two legs, a stomach and a head. Just think about that.
Josephine Baker

And, well, that's just the edited highlights of a life that contained so many other fascinating moments.

I cannot imagine a more wonderful woman.