- unitid
-
{"value"=>"3153342", "type"=>"local_mss"}
- unitdate
-
{"value"=>"1928 - 1991", "type"=>"inclusive", "normal"=>"1928/1991"}
- unittitle
-
{"value"=>"Baker, Josephine"}
- bioghist
-
{"value"=>"<p>Born and raised in poverty in the black community of St. Louis, Missouri, Baker was the first black woman to achieve international stardom. Baker left home at age 13 to tour on the southern vaudeville circuit. By age 15, she had joined the company of <span class=\"title\">Shuffle Along</span>, the musical comedy by Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake, in the 1920s. Her comic antics delighted audiences and critics, and she was transferred to the first cast touring company in Boston. After traveling to Paris, Baker became a sensation, and joined the cast of <span class=\"title\">La Revue Nègre</span> in Paris. During World War II, Baker worked as a military intelligence officer for the French, and was awarded the Croix de Guerre and the Medal of the Resistance. After the war, she used her celebrity as a platform for civil rights activities in the U.S. On a 1951 American tour, she insisted on a nondiscrimination clause in her contracts, effectively integrating nightclubs across the country. Through a much-publicized incident at New York's Stork Club, she focused attention on discrimination against blacks in restaurants and nightclubs. When Baker died at age 69, France gave her a state funeral as a war hero.</p>"}
- scopecontent
-
{"value"=>"<p>The file contains flyers; a copy of a letter from Baker to an unidentified person from 1928; biographical information; 1972 - 1973 articles from <span class=\"title\">Carnegie Hall Magazine</span> about Baker's revue; a brochure (in German) regarding Baker; clippings; and Armstead-Johnson notes from \"Blacks on Stage\" exhibition.</p>"}
- container
-
{"type"=>"box", "value"=>"2"}
{"type"=>"folder", "value"=>"2-3"}
- date_start
-
1928
- keydate
-
1928
- date_end
-
1991
- date_inclusive_start
-
1928
- date_inclusive_end
-
1991