A friend sent me this because he remembered how much I've always admired Josephine Baker.
It's true. I do. When she embarked on her final US tour in 1973, my mother took me to her concert (She actually came to Detroit!). My mom insisted I see this extraordinary black woman while I had the chance. It was a transforming experience. I got invited on stage along with other lucky children in the audience, and we danced with her. It was thrilling.
The more I learned about Josephine Baker, the more I loved & was inspired by her -- her self-invention, her fierce determination to be a citizen of the world, her trail-blazing, her love of Paris, her beauty, her desire to leave the world better than she found it….
And of course her commitment to needy children.
She adopted twelve children from around the world, and called them her Rainbow Tribe.
That is another reason I love her. She was the first African-American woman to choose international adoption.
Vive La Baker.
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