Josephine Baker became a pilot for the French Forces Libres in Morocco. Courtesy: Consulate General of France in Miami
Key Takeaways:
Josephine Baker, an iconic entertainer, activist, and World War II spy, was posthumously inducted into France's Pantheon, becoming the first Black woman, American-born citizen, and performer to receive this highest French honor.
Renowned for her Jazz Age fame in Paris where she sought refuge from U.S. racism, Baker also played a critical role in the French Resistance by hiding fighters, spying as a pilot, and passing intelligence to the Allies, earning her the Legion of Honor.
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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