By Vida Ray- May 12, 2026
Born Josephine McDonald in 1906, her circumstances would have made any career a feat of excellence. Growing up as a Black girl in St. Louis Missouri, she had to earn her keep from the time she was eight years old, and dropped out of school by the time she was twelve. She worked a number of jobs but would often rely on street dancing to get by. This was as the Harlem Renaissance was emerging, and a 13 year old Josephine would grab an opportunity to perform in New York as a chorus girl with both hands. This was only the beginning; in her late teens she would move on to Paris, and become known as the most sensational dancer on the scene. Her exotic acts and stage persona captivated audiences, and it wasn’t long before she added singing to her illustrious resume.
She was one of the first black women to rise to fame and become a sex symbol with her boldness and openness, nicknamed things like the “Bronze Venus” or “Creole Goddess”. Josephine wasn’t afraid to deviate from the norm, throughout her life she harbored numerous passionate romances with both men and women. Often fellow female performers would refer to such relationships as being “Lady lovers”. Fully empowered in her sexuality and artistic freedom, she expressed herself in her songs and said “ I'm not immoral, I'm only natural.”
In 1939, France declared war on Germany, and Baker was recruited by the French military intelligence agency. She became a spy, using her advantageous traits to charm German persons of interests at social events to gather information. Her celebrity status gave her access to spaces with the likes of ambassadors, high ranking military, and bureaucrats, some of which were fans of hers. Her work for the resistance was vital to the war efforts, and she would be awarded the Resistance Medal by the French Committee of National Liberation and the Croix de Guerre by the French military, and was named a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur by General Charles de Gaulle.
But despite her kinship to the country of France, she participated in the activism of her American siblings during the civil rights movement. Her unapologetic attitude towards disregarding segregation, calling out racism, and critiquing the discriminatory systems at play earned her a file on the FBI watchlist. During this time she would also grow a family, adopting 12 children from all kinds of backgrounds and ethnicities. She called them the Rainbow Tribe.
Elyssa Goodman. “Remembering Josephine Baker, a Radical Bisexual Performer and Activist.” Them., Them., 21 Oct. 2019, www.them.us/story/josephine-baker-activism-history.
STRONG, LESTER Q. “Josephine Baker’s Hungry Heart.” The Gay & Lesbian Review, Sept. 2006, glreview.org/article/article-959/.