Josephine Baker
Josephine Baker
Josephine Bakerwas an American-born French dancer, jazz and pop music singer, and actress, who came to be known in various circles as the "Black Pearl," "Bronze Venus" "Jazz Cleopatra", and even the "Creole Goddess". Born Freda Josephine McDonald in St. Louis, Missouri, Baker became a citizen of France in 1937. She was fluent in both English and French...
NationalityFrench
ProfessionDancer
Date of Birth3 June 1906
CountryFrance
burned earth eyes mine seemed sky teeth time touch
I improvised, crazed by the music. . . . Even my teeth and eyes burned with fever. Each time I leaped I seemed to touch the sky and when I regained earth it seemed to be mine alone.
burned earth eyes mine seemed sky teeth time touch
. . . I improvised, crazed by the music. . . . Even my teeth and eyes burned with fever. Each time I leaped I seemed to touch the sky and when I regained earth it seemed to be mine alone.
followed importance learning names time victims whose
I was learning the importance of names -- having them, making them -- but at the same time I sensed the dangers. Recognition was followed by oblivion, a yawning maw whose victims disappeared without a trace.
education brotherhood natural
We must change the system of education and instruction. Unfortunately, history has shown us that brotherhood must be learned, when it should be natural.
dream wake-up realising
To realise our dreams we must decide to wake up.
prayer believe heaven
I believe in prayer. It's the best way we have to draw strength from heaven.
united-states discrimination terror
I ran away from St. Louis, and then I ran away from the United States, because of that terror of discrimination.
beauty beautiful luck
Beautiful? It's all a question of luck. I was born with good legs. As for the rest... beautiful, no. Amusing, yes.
music sky earth
Each time I leaped I seemed to touch the sky and when I regained earth it seemed to be mine alone.
powerful school gun
You must get an education. You must go to school, and you must learn to protect yourself. And you must learn to protect yourself with the pen, and not the gun.
dance african-american care
A violinist had a violin, a painter his palette. All I had was myself. I was the instrument that I must care for.
witty clothes naked
I wasn't really naked. I simply didn't have any clothes on.
attitude blow humanity
I did take the blows [of life], but I took them with my chin up, in dignity, because I so profoundly love and respect humanity.
eye men white-man
Friends, to me for years St. Louis represented a city of fear... humiliation... misery and terror... A city where in the eyes of the white man a Negro should know his place and had better stay in it.