Wonder Woman of the Week: Josephine Baker

Josephine Baker was a groundbreaking performer, civil rights activist, and French Resistance agent whose extraordinary life defied expectations and broke barriers across continents. Born in 1906 in St. Louis, Missouri, Baker rose from a childhood marked by poverty and racial segregation to become one of the most celebrated entertainers of the 20th century. She moved to Paris in the 1920s during the Harlem Renaissance and quickly rose to stardom with her electrifying performances at venues like the Folies Bergère. Her signature act, which included the iconic banana skirt, both captivated European audiences and challenged colonial stereotypes. In France, Baker found the freedom and respect denied to her in the United States, and she embraced her new home with pride, eventually becoming a French citizen in 1937.