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Josephine Baker: International Icon
She danced her way into history with an inspiring rags-to-riches story that touched the hearts of millions around the world.
Stages across Europe welcomed Black American performers in the years following President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation that freed the progeny of stolen Africans.
The list of artists who sought to sail away from racial animus is lengthy. Of the departure, few achieved the praise lavished on singer and dancer Josephine Baker… renowned as the Black Pearl.
Born Freda Josephine McDonald in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1906. She was the illegitimate interracial child of two Vaudevillian performers. Her transient youth was marked by a longing to escape the confines of poverty and racial tensions.
Baker’s posthumous memoir, Josephine, tells a traumatic tale. She was 11 at the time. The memories reflected the venom of a white lynch mob. She saw a man get his eyes scratched and an unborn child ripped from a pregnant woman’s belly.
Caught in the middle, of two races the light-skinned girl caught hell for her appearance. As a schoolgirl, Freda was ostracized for her creamy-colored skin. Peers taunted her relentlessly taunted. As a result, Freda felt relegated to a nether region.
She survived by escaping to a make-believe place in her mind where she played a starring role. Society often overlooks the importance of play. Life is hard. People who don’t find a way to strike a balance get overwhelmed.
Josephine found a way to walk the line between the two. She made it her business to learn how to perform to make a living. Holding onto childhood fantasies would manifest in adulthood and exceed her wildest dreams.
TODAY’S STATEMENT OF GRATITUDE
Josephine Baker followed in the footsteps of sculptor Edmonia Lewis, who found fame overseas. Their groundbreaking International careers turn the volume up on the sentiment ➖ Go where you’re celebrated… not tolerated ➖
Horrific scenes from the white lynch mob haunted Baker for a lifetime. Seeking justice for people everywhere was why she joined the French Resistance as a secret spy during World War II.
Back home, in the 1950s, Baker joined forces with Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., to advocate for Civil Rights.
I impart wisdom from lessons learned in the School of Life.
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Artist In Residence ➖ USF Center for Innovation ➖ Piloting the INKubator at the University of St. Francis in Joliet, Illinois/USA
Did You Know the month of February was designated Spunk Old Broad Month? Sherry Atkinson wrote about it.
