Post by Alexis Smith 5th hour on Oct 31, 2013 19:26:14 GMT -5
Here are some pictures of Josephine Baker.
www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/14/josephine-baker-beauty-photos_n_3267033.html
Josephine Baker was born Freda Josephine McDonald on June 3rd, 1906 in St. Louis, Missouri. She was destined to be talented. Her dad was a vaudeville drummer and her mom dreamt of becoming a music hall dancer. She grew up rather quickly; cleaning and babysitting at the age of eight to support her family. When she turned thirteen, she worked as a waitress in a club.
In the 1920s, she moved to France. She had various roles in movies and a vast selection of songs from when she started singing professionally in 1930. Her nickname was “Black Venus” or “Black Pearl”, as the French society embraced colored skin. Despite the fact that Josephine was accepted in France, when she traveled back to the US in 1936, she encountered racist attitudes towards her. www.cmgww.com/stars/baker/about/films.html (A list of her movie appearances. Also click on music, quotes, fast facts, and any thing else that may spark your interest!)
When World War II started, she stopped dancing and helped with the Red Cross. She also worked for the French Resistance, which would sneak messages in different ways like in her undergarments or hidden in her sheet music. For doing this, she was granted the Croix de Guerre and the Legion of Honour with the rosette of the resistance, the major military honors in France.
In 1950, she adopted several children from different places around the world. She called her children “the rainbow tribe” because they were all different, but they lived together easily. She eventually went back to the United States to support the Civil Rights Movement. She was one of the speakers at the March on Washington, and walked beside Martin Luther King in 1963. She helped Civil Rights so significantly, the NAACP established May 20th as Josephine Baker Day.
www.imdb.com/name/nm0001927/bio
More interesting facts about Josephine Baker
www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/14/josephine-baker-beauty-photos_n_3267033.html
Josephine Baker was born Freda Josephine McDonald on June 3rd, 1906 in St. Louis, Missouri. She was destined to be talented. Her dad was a vaudeville drummer and her mom dreamt of becoming a music hall dancer. She grew up rather quickly; cleaning and babysitting at the age of eight to support her family. When she turned thirteen, she worked as a waitress in a club.
In the 1920s, she moved to France. She had various roles in movies and a vast selection of songs from when she started singing professionally in 1930. Her nickname was “Black Venus” or “Black Pearl”, as the French society embraced colored skin. Despite the fact that Josephine was accepted in France, when she traveled back to the US in 1936, she encountered racist attitudes towards her. www.cmgww.com/stars/baker/about/films.html (A list of her movie appearances. Also click on music, quotes, fast facts, and any thing else that may spark your interest!)
When World War II started, she stopped dancing and helped with the Red Cross. She also worked for the French Resistance, which would sneak messages in different ways like in her undergarments or hidden in her sheet music. For doing this, she was granted the Croix de Guerre and the Legion of Honour with the rosette of the resistance, the major military honors in France.
In 1950, she adopted several children from different places around the world. She called her children “the rainbow tribe” because they were all different, but they lived together easily. She eventually went back to the United States to support the Civil Rights Movement. She was one of the speakers at the March on Washington, and walked beside Martin Luther King in 1963. She helped Civil Rights so significantly, the NAACP established May 20th as Josephine Baker Day.
After so many years, the US finally gave her the recognition she deserved after giving her performance at Carnegie Hall, in New York, a standing ovation. She died on April 12, 1975 from a cerebral hemorrhage. On the day of her funeral, 20,000+ people lined the streets paying their respects. The French government honored her with a 21-gun salute, allowing Baker to be the first American woman buried in France with military honors.
www.imdb.com/name/nm0001927/bio
More interesting facts about Josephine Baker