By Brandon Fey, News Editor
On Thursday, March 27, the French department hosted a discussion on Josephine Baker, an American-born entertainer and cultural icon who became renowned for her work in France. The event featured a biographical presentation by Kirsten Peeler, a senior project manager and architectural historian at Goodwin & Associates, Inc. in Frederick, Maryland.
Peeler’s presentation, titled, “Josephine Baker, A Life of Contrasts,” began with a contextualization of African American culture in France in the early 20th century. She explained that during the First World War, a regiment of all-black soldiers known as the Harlem Hellfighters was sent from the United States to fight under French command, as they were forbidden to do so in the U.S. Army.
The unit became popular in France for their actions on the battlefield and later played a role in the introduction of jazz music to the country.
Peeler then discusses Baker’s early life, having been born in St. Louis Missouri in 1906 to an impoverished family. She stopped attending school at age 12 and worked as a domestic for wealthier families. As a child, Baker grew up around staunch racial segregation and personally witnessed the immense violence of the 1917 racial massacre that engulfed St. Louis.
When she grew older, she started working as a vaudeville dancer, and eventually performed in the first all-black Broadway performance, “Shuffle Along.” She sailed to Paris in 1925 to further her career as a performer.
In France, Baker quickly found success as the country lacked the racial segregation of the United States, and had a popular fascination with black culture. Peeler argued that Baker “exploited” French stereotypes about black people by embracing them in her performances. Several of her acts included tribal paraphernalia and African aesthetics.
During the Second World War, Baker served as a second lieutenant in the French Women’s Volunteer Army. Under occupation, she became an agent for the French Resistance, during which she commingled with German and Italian officers to gain information.
For these efforts, Baker was personally thanked by General Charles De Gaulle and awarded several decorations, including the Croix de Guerre.
Peeler then shared that after the war, Baker focused on humanitarian activities. She and her husband, Jo Bouillon, resided in the historic Château des Milandes, where they adopted and raised 12 foster children.
In the later stages of her life, Baker became an outspoken civil rights activist, working against racial segregation, South African apartheid and international antisemitism. She was invited as a speaker at the 1963 March on Washington, where she proudly wore her French Army uniform.
In November 2021, Baker was interred into the French Panthéon in Paris. She is the first black woman to receive this highest national honor in the secular temple to the “great men” of the French Republic.
