“Wherever freedom has been in danger, Americans with a deep sense of patriotism have ever been willing to stand…and strike a blow for liberty and the Lord.” —John F. Kennedy, 1946
Last May I experienced the patriotism of the late American Josephine Baker, a dancer, singer and Allied spy who immigrated to France to escape Jim Crow.
I visited her Chateau Des Milandes in southwestern France. She has been the subject of numerous books, but the newer release of declassified WWII British and French military intelligence files revealed just how much this woman contributed to the defeat of the Germans. Agent Josephine, American Beauty, French Hero, British Spy reads like a modern-day spy thriller. I can’t wait for the film.
Being famous, Baker was no ordinary spy. The German occupiers banned Baker, the wealthiest entertainer in Europe, along with Jews, from performing in her adopted country. Boldly, she smuggled out secrets hidden in her wardrobe and in invisible ink on her sheet music when performing outside of France. She was often stopped by Axis soldiers, but her fame and her flair worked for her.
After the war, Baker was awarded the Resistance Medal and the Croix de Guerre by the French military, and the Chevalier of Honor by President Charles De Gaulle. And in 2021 she was entombed in the French Pantheon – France’s mausoleum of heroes – along with Victor Hugo, Madame Curie, and 75 others. Only six are women, and Baker is the only entertainer, American, and Black woman so honored.
Her post-war American tour was cut short because of racial restrictions, but a few years later she raised her American profile, speaking at the 1963 March on Washington. She spent extravagantly – walked her pet cheetah on the boulevards of Paris, adopted 12 children from ten nations (her rainbow tribe), and built an amusement park – all culminating in her impoverishment.
Princess Grace of Monaco provided a home for her in Monaco, where she was initially interred.
Baker’s Chateau is now a museum with her costumes, including the famous banana skirt, videos, and her Fighting French Women’s Corp uniform and awards. Although not on the beaten path, seeing her history up close is worth a detour.
