JOSEPHINE BAKER A NATIONAL HEROINE

The first African American Woman to be buried in the Paris Pantheon
Josephine was a dancer, singer, actress, civil right fighter, mother of 11 adopted children and one of the 20th century's great stars. In 1963, she spoke at the March on Washington at the side of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr and Rosa Parks. She was a spy and part of the French Resistance during World War II, and was awarded the highest military decorations from General Charles De Gaulle. She was the first Black international star, a muse of the cubists and close friend with Pablo Picasso, Max Ernst and Ernest Hemingway. She became the highest-paid performer in the Paris music hall scene during the 1920s.And is remembered for her famous Banana Dance.
I had the unique opportunity to meet Josephine and dine with her in 1972 as she was a friend of my mother who also was a singer. I remember she gave me two portions of her now famous Apple Tart with Vanilla sauce, once created for Picasso and Hemingway. Thomas Dellert