"...the most sensational woman anyone ever saw." - Ernest Hemingway
Career and Achievements
She began performing in Paris in the 1920’s and was the first women of African decent to have a successful entertaining career. Her hysterical comic ability, beauty and talent won her adoring fans who gave her such nicknames as “Black Venus”, “Black Pearl”, and “Creole Goddess”. She even received more than one thousand marriage proposals and gifts such as cars and expensive jewelry. She was made extremely famous after having, what she thought, was a cereer ending accident; she got her costume stuck in the curtains and people found her hysterically funny as she attempted to free herself. From then on, her trademark was purposefully making a fool of her self and dancing out of turn, it had the audience in stiches every time. She was extremely successful in Europe and Paris for about 50 years, she loved performing "I love performing. I shall perform until the day I die." And she did up until she she fell ill in 1941, suffered a heart attack in 1973 and eventually died in 1975 due to a cerebral hemorrhage (she still performed in front of audiences at the age of 68).
Josephine Baker overcame many challenges due to the color of her skin and grew to be known as the first superstar. She was famous for being on film, singing, dancing, and for her talent and beauty. She also refused to perform in front of discriminated or segregated audiences. Not only was she well known around in the world for her entertainment, she was also a civil rights activist and spoke at the March in Washington saying “Salt and pepper. Just what it should be.” She was a Red Cross nurse and an underground courier in the French Resistance in WWII (where she also entertained the troops). Her work in the war awarded her the Croix de Guerre, Légion d’Honneur, and Rosette of the Résistance. She was also the first woman to receive an award at her funeral.
"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