Hey friends, welcome to the third episode in our documentary series, How Women One World

Were Two.

I mentioned in our last episode that today we would talk about a person a larger than

life woman who utilized her fame and charm to secretly gather intel for the allies during

World War Two.

She put herself in danger, fought for freedom, saved countless lives, and she did it all

while she shimmied her way across Europe in tiny sequined costumes.

I'm Sharon McBam, and here's where it gets interesting.

There is no one like Josephine Baker, not now, not ever.

And while you may have heard of her as one of the world's most famous entertainers of

the 1920s and 30s, y'all buckle up.

Now, I mean like, actually fastened your seat belts and were being seated for the duration

of the flight.

Because when Josephine Baker was born in 1906 in San Luis, Missouri, her mother, Carrie

McDonald, had already tried to become famous.

She pursued a career as a singer and dancer, but had to abandon it when Josephine was born.

Coming up, people widely speculated that Josephine's father wasn't her father.

With her dad, Eddie, and her mom, Carrie were black, but Josephine had a skin tone that

was very light, much lighter than her siblings.

Throughout her life, she made claims about who her father was that ranged from a well-known

African-American lawyer to a Spanish dancer to a white German to a Jewish tailor.

Carrie's relationship with Josephine's father eventually ended and she remarried.

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