Before Rosa Parks and John Lewis, there was Josephine Baker.
Baker may have seemed like an unlikely civil rights figure 鈥� a cabaret singer and dancer who appeared onstage in glamorous style, sometimes barely clad or accompanied by a pet cheetah.
Yet in 1951, Baker made history in Miami Beach when she refused to perform at a swanky nightclub unless Black guests were welcomed there. As the story goes, the famed Copa City Club initially denied her demand. Miami was still under Jim Crow segregation rules.
But Baker persisted. The singer had moved to Paris decades earlier and, by then, was an international star who toured the world, packing venues wherever she appeared. On Jan. 10, 1951, Baker became the first known entertainer to perform at a prominent Miami Beach club before an integrated audience.
鈥淪he was a bridge between France and the U.S., especially in the fight against discrimination,鈥� said Laurent Gallissot, consul general of France in Miami, whose office will host a special tribute to the American-French performer on Sunday, Nov. 28, at Miami Beach鈥檚 National Hotel.
Baker, who died in 1975, is in the news again. Not only is she about to become the first Black woman inducted in Paris鈥檚 Panth茅on 鈥� an honor reserved for France鈥檚 most illustrious citizens, such as Victor Hugo, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Marie Curie 鈥� but the city of Miami Beach has declared Nov. 28 as Josephine Baker Day.
鈥淚 think women do connect very much with her, because they do feel how difficult it is to be the first in a lot of different things,鈥� Gallissot said. 鈥淭he first onstage, first in the movies, first Black woman to really break the rules and push the boundaries.鈥�
Baker spent a lifetime breaking through barriers. Born in 1906 to a working-class family in St. Louis, Mo., she first appeared in all-Black musicals including 鈥淭he Chocolate Dandies鈥� on Broadway before heading to Paris in 1925. In the City of Light, she enraptured audiences with her captivating looks and seductive dance moves. (She became a French citizen in 1937.)
She hung out with artists and literary figures, including Pablo Picasso and Ernest Hemingway. The American writer once described her as 鈥渢he most sensational woman anybody ever saw. Or ever will.鈥�
She also played a role in the French Resistance after the Nazis invaded France. She was known to have helped the Allies by smuggling secret documents on sheet music and became a volunteer pilot in the women鈥檚 auxiliary of the French Air Force. She received French military honors at her funeral.
鈥淚n France, she was very loved 鈥� especially in Paris 鈥� because she had such an amazing connection with the French people,鈥� Gallissot said.
Throughout her life, Baker spoke against segregation and racism in her native country.
In 1963, she joined the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. at the March on Washington. There, she addressed the crowd, talking about her reasons for leaving the United States: 鈥淵ou know, friends, that I do not lie to you when I tell you I have walked into the palaces of kings and queens and into the houses of presidents. And much more. But I could not walk into a hotel in America and get a cup of coffee, and that made me mad.
鈥淎nd when I get mad, you know that I open my big mouth. And then look out, cause when Josephine opens her mouth, they hear it all over the world.鈥�
Baker鈥檚 extraordinary life matched her outspokenness. She married four times and adopted 12 children from different parts of the world, calling them her rainbow tribe.
She鈥檚 also embraced by the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer or questioning) community. She was linked romantically to several women, including Mexican artist Frida Kahlo and blues singer Clara Smith.
鈥淚 did not know much about her, now I鈥檓 totally in love with her,鈥� said Paul Thomas, chairman of Miami Beach鈥檚 LGBTQ Advisory Committee, and designated master of ceremony at the Baker tribute on Nov. 28.
Thomas said he was inspired by the artist鈥檚 sense of inclusion and social justice.
鈥淚鈥檓 really wanting to build on her courage and strength, on her tenacity and her perseverance,鈥� said Thomas, speaking at a news conference at the National Hotel in early November. 鈥淗er drawing that line, saying: I鈥檓 not asking you if I can be in this space, I鈥檓 saying to you, if I come to this space, I come this way. If I come, everyone comes.鈥�
Jazz singer Bianca Rosarrio has found her space in Baker鈥檚 songs. The West Palm Beach singer recently joined The Jos茅phine Jazz Sextet, which is scheduled to perform during the National Hotel tribute.
鈥淪he has opened up the doors for all of us, especially African-American women,鈥� said Rosarrio, who sang at the National Hotel news conference. 鈥淭o be able to perform in venues such as this one because she refused to perform for segregated audiences 鈥� that speaks volumes.
鈥淪he could have took the gig, took the money, but she said, 鈥楴o, this is how it鈥檚 going to be, and if you don鈥檛 like it, I鈥檓 not doing it,鈥欌�� Rosarrio added. 鈥淚 can relate to her and that type of spirit.鈥�
The special tribute, 鈥淢iami Celebrates Josephine Baker,鈥� is set for 8-10 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 28, at the National Hotel, 1677 Collins Ave., Miami Beach. Though the event is free and open to the public, online registration is required and appears to have sold out. For more information on this event, visit .
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