Mastodawn

your auntifa liza 🇵🇷 🦛 🦦

BTW could point out that English-speaking Afroboricuas fought side-by-side with African Americans in their regiments during World War 2. or i could default to lauding the Air Force’s all-Black Tuskeegee Air Men.

why do so when i can talk about an AIR WOMAN who became one of the most successful spies for France, UK & USA whilst still working as, for all intents and purposes of burlesque and cabaret, the most famous stripper in the world?

this post is about the #antifa AF, Josephine Baker

🧵…

Baker left USA during the KKK 1920s revival and became a French citizen in 1937; but because of her fame, fluency and flying, her #antifa espionage work was shared between #France #UK #USA.

❝ Josephine Baker: From Poverty to Stardom to Espionage - CIA
https://www.cia.gov/stories/story/josephine-baker-from-poverty-to-stardom-to-espionage/

❝ Siren of the Resistance: The Artistry and Espionage of Josephine Baker | The National WWII Museum https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/siren-resistance-artistry-and-espionage-josephine-baker

❝ Joséphine Baker (1906-1975) | Service historique de la Défense
https://www.servicehistorique.sga.defense.gouv.fr/liste-dossiers-individuels/josephine-baker-1906-1975

🧵…

Josephine Baker was awarded the Resistance Medal by the French Committee of National Liberation, the Croix de Guerre by the French military, and was named a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur.

she was incredibly proud of her #antifa work for France; and though white America was horrible to her she was a fiercely Black & Proud African American woman.

she was one of only 2 women to give a speech during the 1963 March On Washington, right before Martin Luther King Jr:
https://blackpast.org/african-american-history/1963-josephine-baker-speech-march-washington/

🧵

not one of your #antifascist faves could ever be like la Grande Dame Josephine Baker.

in November of 2021 Emmanuel Macron inducted Madame Baker into France’s mausoleum of heroes, the Pantheon

❝ Josephine Baker is inducted into the French Pantheon : NPR - https://www.npr.org/2021/11/30/1059776777/josephine-baker-france-pantheon

so, remember boys and girls:

you can start a stripper, turn into a superstar, and become a fascist bashing war hero all in one lifetime.

be #antifa like Josephine Baker.

bash the fash. /🧵

#BlackMastodon

Jonobie Sep 20

@blogdiva There really should be a big budget movie (or several!) about her life. (I haven’t missed this, have I…?)

@jonobie there’s never been one.

Jonobie Sep 20

@blogdiva Wish I were surprised. :-(

Space Catitude 🚀Sep 20

@jonobie
There have been documentaries. And of course, she made movies.

And there's this biopic (I guess this isn't big budget -- looks like made for TV?). I haven't seen it. But I may see if I can find it, now:

"The Josephine Baker Story"
https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0102167

The Josephine Baker Story (TV Movie 1991) ⭐ 7.1 | Biography, Drama, History

2h 10m | R

IMDb

Petra van Cronenburg Sep 20

@jonobie I don't know anything with big budget but there are several good docos and some biopics. Examples: https://www.discoverwalks.com/blog/paris/top-4-best-movies-about-josephine-baker/
@blogdiva

Top 4 best movies about Josephine Baker

Top 4 best movies about Josephine Baker Josephine Baker was an American dancer who called France her second home. She lived and performed throughout the early 20th century, and was known for her "banana dance,"

Discover Walks Blog

SusannaH Sep 20

@jonobie @blogdiva
I had a vague recollection of seeing a movie about her, and after a bit of searching, I think it was this one https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9406402/ . Probably doesn't qualify as big budget, though.

Josephine Baker: The Story of an Awakening (TV Movie 2018) ⭐ 7.6 | Documentary, Biography, History

52m

IMDb

Petra van Cronenburg Sep 20

@blogdiva yes ... and you can even fight fascism without any dance knowledge! 😉 The #Resistance in France was build by people of every kind, every age, or profession. Everybody could help with a task. The secret: they just started and connected with like-minded people.
Greetings from France!

#resist #StopFascism

she was special

Joséphine Baker (1906-1975) | Service historique de la Défense - https://www.servicehistorique.sga.defense.gouv.fr/liste-dossiers-individuels/josephine-baker-1906-1975

@NatureMC

Joséphine Baker (1906-1975) | Service historique de la Défense

Petra van Cronenburg Sep 20

@blogdiva I know. I live in France and personally knew people from the Resistance. I just wanted to motivate people to start resisting even if they'll never get the chance to become a hero. She is a great role model.

Gurre Vildskägg Sep 20

@blogdiva
And chevalier means knight, right?
So she became a knight.

Thanasis Kinias Sep 28

@Gurre
The word literally does mean ‘knight’ but in modern times there isn’t an exact equivalent to British Empire knighthoods in the French Republic—in the context of the Légion d’Honneur ‘Chevalier’ is the lowest rank, equivalent to e.g. ‘Member’ in the Order of the British Empire. The equivalent ranks in the LH to British Empire honours that confer knighthood would be ‘Grand-Croix’ and ‘Grand-Officier’ (the top two of five).
@blogdiva

Thanasis Kinias Sep 28

@Gurre
(Not to diminish Baker’s importance in any way, of course! It’s remarkable that she was admitted to the Légion d’Honneur *at all*. I was just clarifying the terminology.)
@blogdiva

Lazarou Monkey Terror 🚀💙🌈Sep 20

@blogdiva how they have not made a movie of this amazing woman's life I don't know......oh wait, it's the Racism, isn't it?

I_give_u_worms Sep 20

Denis Sep 28

@blogdiva Hello, do you know the extraordinary life of Eugene Bullard? First African American pilot (World War I), musician and cabaret director in the interwar period, counterintelligence informant and volunteer combatant in World War II, to end up in poverty and solitude in New York

(in french)
https://fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Bullard

Eugene Bullard — Wikipédia

your auntifa liza 🇵🇷 🦛 🦦Sep 28

@nassigny no, i did now. je vous remercie beaucoup.

Aronaya Sep 20

@blogdiva Woa, hope I can find video or audio of her speech!

Fietsbel Sep 20

@blogdiva I know the feelings she describes in her speech, I know them from 1rst hand personal experience, though I am not black myself. I know what it feels like to be excluded merely because of what you are, a girl, a worker’s child, a better student than most other kids from educated “bourgeois” backgrounds, a woman, and ‘worse’ a female scientist, still ‘worse’, from a modest background - why did I not want to leave my data to men stealing them from me, and why not allow sexual advances? 1/

Fietsbel Sep 20

@blogdiva I know them as an immigrant, I know them as a peaceful activist for climate and environment, for the energy transition, against neoliberalism and #neofascism, for sustainable development and innovation, as a voter left from the middle, as an activist for rule of law and employees’ rights. I know what it means to be unfoundedly excluded, disrespected, offended, refused, harassed, denounced, denied opportunities, despite one’s efforts and one’s even documented performance. 2/ #nofascism

Trip K Sep 20

@blogdiva Amazing! The most common mainstream photos of her are of the banana skirt days, but this one should be much more well-known than it is.

GinevraCat Sep 20

@blogdiva As if she could get any cooler!! Wow!

Walrus 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿Sep 20

About 57 years ago, I had a mate whose Mum flew Lancaster bombers from the factory to the RAF bases, and hitched back.

She was a hero, too!

Estarriol, Terrorist Dragon Sep 20

@Walrus @blogdiva

air transport command.

Catherine is not complacent Sep 20

@blogdiva she also had 12 adopted children that she called her rainbow tribe. I really don’t think there was anything she couldn’t have done if she had had the inclination to do so. Such a big heart and so much courage.

FediThing 🏳️‍🌈Sep 20