Josephine Baker Will Be The First Black Woman Buried At The Panthéon In Paris
Josephine Baker will make history again.
The legendary dancer, singer, and actress will become the first Black woman buried in the Panthéon monument in Paris, one of France's highest honors.
In a statement, French President Emmanuel Macron said that Baker "held high the motto of the French Republic."
The Élysée Palace wrote in a press release, "World-renowned music hall artist, committed to the Resistance, tireless anti-racist activist, she was involved in all the fights that bring together citizens of goodwill, in France and around the world."
The Élysée Palace also added, although she was born American, Baker embodied the "French spirit."
The ceremony will take place on Nov. 30.
Nicknamed the "Bronze Venus" and the "Black Pearl," Baker was originally from St. Louis, Missouri, and famously moved to Europe, where she had a long career as an all-around entertainer.
She was the first African-American female to star in a major motion picture and integrate an American concert hall. During World War II, she assisted the French Resistance and is the first American-born woman to receive the French military honor, the Croix de Guerre. Baker was also one of the few women to speak at the 1963 March on Washington.
Josephine Baker died in 1975 at 68 years old.
