Josephine Baker became a pilot for the French Forces Libres in Morocco. Courtesy: Consulate General of France in Miami
Key Takeaways:
Entertainer, activist, and World War II spy Josephine Baker was honored at France's Pantheon, becoming the first Black woman and American-born performer to receive this highest French distinction.
Having found greater acclaim and refuge from racism in Paris, the American-born Baker became an iconic symbol of the Jazz Age and later a French citizen.
During WWII, she courageously served the French Resistance by hiding individuals, acting as a pilot, and transmitting intelligence, earning her prestigious military honors.
Entertainer, activist, and World War II spy Josephine Baker made history this week when she became the first Black woman to be honored at the Pantheon monument in France.
Born in 1906 in St. Louis, Missouri, Baker rose to fame in the 1930s as a singer and dancer and became a symbol of the Jazz Age and Harlem Renaissance.
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