JOSÉPHINE BAKER

October 2025

Freedom fighters portraits

WHO IS JOSÉPHINE BAKER?

A woman of many struggles, symbol of resistance and freedom

FIRST AN ICON OF CABARETS…

Joséphine Baker, born on 3 June 1906 in Missouri, came from a large and poor family. She left home at an early age and
arrived in France in 1925.

The African-American dancer took Paris by storm. She became the star of the Folies Bergères and introduced jazz and the Charleston to France.

“Didn’t I become the darling of the Parisians? They gave me everything, especially their hearts. I gave them mine.”

… SHE BECAME A SYMBOL OF THE FRENCH RESISTANCE

Naturalised as a French citizen in 1937, Josephine Baker joined the French troops when the Second World War broke out. In September 1939, she was recruited as a counter-espionage agent.

After the defeat in June 1940, she joined the Resistance and the France libre in the secret services, in Morocco.

TIRELESS ANTI-RACISM ACTIVIST

An iconic figure in the fight against racism, Joséphine Baker joined the International League Against Racism and Anti-Semitism (LICRA) in 1938 and became its international ambassador for propaganda.

In 1963, she joined Martin Luther King on the great march for civil rights in Washington, during which he delivered his famous speech “I have a dream”.

ELEVATION TO THE PANTHEON

Joséphine Baker died on 12 April 1975 in Paris, after having been awarded numerous medals for her actions,
including the Legion of Honour.

On 30 November 2021, she receives France’s highest national honour upon her induction into the Panthéon in Paris.

“I am not intimidated by anyone. Everyone is made with two arms, two legs, a stomach and a head. Think about it.”

Joséphine Baker