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It’s Black History Month in North America - check out our podcast on Josephine Baker for some Black history!

Josephine is known best for her career as a dancer, singer and actress, taking 1920s Paris by storm with her comic, energetic and provocative dancing (watch it here!) - sometimes wearing nothing but a single ostrich feather on stage. But she did much more with her life than that! During WWII, she was a spy for the French resistance, sneaking important information out of the country written on her sheet music in invisible ink, or pinned to her underwear. She was highly decorated for her contribution to the French Resistance, earning a Legion of Honour medal from the French government.

After the war, Josephine began to campaign for civil rights in the USA, and was made a life member of the NAACP. She spoke at the 1963 March on Washington. You can read the full text of her speech here.

Josephine was also bisexual, having four husbands (or five, depending on how you’re counting) and many female lovers.