Many great minds changed the world during the Harlem Renaissance. However, only one was given military honors by a foreign government at her funeral.

The Harlem Renaissance was a time of great change and opportunity for African Americans. One young girl who was able to see her dream and achieve it was Josephine Baker.

Josephine ran away from home at an early age to discover the world. She had spent many years as a baby sitter for a wealthy family but knew in her heart there was more to life waiting for her.

She traveled to New York City from her hometown of St. Louis and found a way to work in the wardrobe section of a musical review show. In time, she learned all of the skits and dances. At first they would not let her dance because of her race, but later, when they were in great need due to a dancer leaving suddenly, Josephine was tapped to dance.

Josephine knew that she had to be different so she deliberately made mistakes to make the audience laugh. While the other dancers and company leaders were very upset with her, the public and critics loved her way of poking fun at the productions. In short order, Josephine was a hit. By 1924, two short years after her debut, she was the star of her own show on Broadway called "Chocolate Dandies."

Like other African American performers, Josephine could not stand the harsh reality of racism in America. So like many others, she traveled to Europe in 1925 to explore other opportunities. In Paris she danced in the show "La Revue Negre" and became a star overnight. She had a style of dancing that shocked the public while at the same time forced them to laugh. She was not afraid of the racist concepts of those who thought that people with African ancestors were unequal. She danced as an African woman who was proud of the beautiful body God had given her and celebrated her soul in dance. She deliberately poked fun at negative stereotypes by using some as metaphors in her routines. In so doing, she made the idea of holding stereotypes of African people totally foolish. One of her most famous dances of this kind was called the "Banana Dance."

In the 1930's, Josephine traveled back to the United States to help in the fight against racism. She would not perform in theaters or nightclubs where the audience was segregated. However, the white audiences of American were unwilling to accept her style of dance. She received the first negative reviews in her career at this time.

She was living in France when World War II started. Josephine was safe from the Nazis due to her international fame. Even they knew not to attack a leading star of the stage. As a result, Josephine used her fame to enable her to carry hidden messages written in her music for the Allied Forces when she traveled in Europe to a neutral nation. She also used her fame to convince consulates to issue travel documents for friends who were traveling with her. This enabled them to escape German-occupied France. After the war, she received the highest military honors bestowed by the French Government.

Josephine was still not accepted in the United States. In 1951, she was in New York City and tried to have dinner at the famous Stork Club. Josephine yelled at newspaper columnist Walter Winchell for not helping her and he responded by calling her a Communist. This slap in the face would have destroyed her career during the McCarthy era if her following had been based only in the United States.

Josephine returned to France and continued to raise her many adopted children. Josephine called her twelve children a Rainbow Village since they came from different cultures. When she sang on stage, she would often perform in different languages to celebrate the fact that all humanity is one large family.

In 1961, she received the French government's highest honor for her work as a spy. The Legion d'Honneur was given to her by President Charles deGaulle of France. This honor was a boost to her reputation and a defense of her character against those who were trying to destroy her by saying that she was a Communist.

In 1963, she joined with Dr. Martin Luther King on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and spoke to the crowd during the Civil Rights March on Washington.

Josephine successfully returned to the stage in 1975 and sold out Carnegie Hall in New York City for two shows. She returned to Paris and again performed in sold-out concert halls, followed by wide-spread critical acclaim. Sadly, shortly after her return to the stage, she died in her sleep after a large party given in recognition for her many years of bringing the arts to life. Josephine lives on in film, recordings, and through the many children she raised. Upon her burial, she was given full military honors by the French Government. To many she was a hero of World War II and the Civil Rights Movement. For many others, she was a consummate dancer and musician who helped change the world.