Josephine Baker #1445

 Caption from poster__     Josephine Baker    Inducted into Missouri House    of Government’s Hall of Fame   Josephine Baker was an international star and human rights activist known for her sultry vocals and distinct improvisational dance style. Born in the slums of St. Louis, she discovered her ticket out of a life  of poverty through song and dance. Because of her strong views  against racial discrimination, she left this country for France to launch  an entertainment career which spanned five decades. Deeply involved  in the civil rights movement, she was instrumental in prompting night- clubs and theaters to integrate their audiences by her refusal to perform  unless nondiscriminatory seating practices were followed. One of the highlights of her life was taking part in the 1963 Freedom March in Washington, D.C., and delivering a speech beside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the Lincoln Memorial. Four days before her death, on April 8, 1975, she opened a new revue in Paris and af