Josephine Baker in Google Doodle

byreanna1

1.4K followers

8 years ago

The 111th anniversary of the birth of the singer and dancer Josephine Baker, who became famous for her battle against racism honors with its current doodle Google!

Josephine Baker was born on June 3, 1906 in Missouri, United States of America, and spent her childhood on poverty before working with the dance, having a great success at Broadway.

In the 1920s she moved to France and soon became one of Europe's most popular and highest paid artists. She worked for the French Resistance during the Second World War, and during the 1950s and 1960s she was devoted to combating racism in the United States. After returning to the scene in 1973, Josephine Baker died of cerebral hemorrhage on April 12, 1975 and was buried at military prices.

Return to the US and racism

In 1936 Baker returned to the United States to appear at Ziegfield Follies, hoping to become an artist in her home country. However, she encountered a hostile, racist reaction and quickly returned back to France. After her return, Baker married a French industrialist, Jean Lion, and received her nationality from the country that had embraced her so warmly.

After the war, Baker spent most of her life in Les Milandes with her family. In 1947 she married French conductor Jo Bouillon and since 1950 began to adopt children from all over the world. They adopted 12 children altogether, which she used to call "rainbow tribe" and "experiment in brotherhood". So she often called people in her estate to see these children and show them that people from different tribes can live together harmoniously.

During the 1950s, Baker returned to the United States to support the Civil Rights Movement, participating in demonstrations. In fact, in 1963 she took part with Martin Luther King Jr and was among the many important speakers that unforgettable day. In honor of her efforts, NAACP eventually named "Josephine Baker Day" on May 20th.

After many expulsions from her compatriots and racing for many years, she appeared in Carnegie Hall in New York in 1973 and was acclaimed. This performance was a huge success and marked the return of Baker to the stage.

The curtain falls

In April 1975, Josephine Baker performed at the Bobino Theater in Paris, the first of a series of performances to commemorate her 50th anniversary since her debut in Paris. Many celebrities were present, including Sophia Loren and Princess Grace of Monaco. A few days later, however, on April 12, 1975, Josephine Baker at the age of 69 died in her sleep from cerebral hemorrhage.

On the day of her funeral, more than 20,000 people went to the streets of Paris to watch the procession, and the French government honored her, making her the first American woman in the history of France to be honored with military prizes.

More about this great lady here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josephine_Baker