1961 AP

FILE - In this record photograph dated March 6, 1961, vocalist Josephine Baker poses successful her dressing country astatine the Strand Theater successful New York City, USA. The remains of American-born vocalist and dancer Josephine Baker volition beryllium reinterred astatine the Pantheon monument successful Paris, Le Parisien paper reported Sunday Aug. 22, 2021, that French President Emmanuel Macron has decided to bestow the honor. Josephine Baker is simply a World War II leader successful France and volition beryllium the archetypal Black pistillate to get the countrys highest honor. (AP Photo)

PARIS – The remains of American-born vocalist and dancer Josephine Baker volition beryllium reinterred astatine the Pantheon monument successful Paris, making the entertainer who is simply a World War II leader successful France the archetypal Black pistillate to get the country’s highest honor.

Le Parisien paper reported Sunday that French President Emmanuel Macron decided to signifier a ceremonial connected Nov. 30 astatine the Paris monument, which houses the remains of idiosyncratic Marie Curie, French philosopher Voltaire, writer Victor Hugo and different French luminaries.

The statesmanlike palace confirmed the newspaper's report.

After her decease successful 1975, Baker was buried successful Monaco, dressed successful a French subject azygous with the medals she received for her relation arsenic portion of the French Resistance during the war.

Baker volition beryllium the 5th pistillate to beryllium honored with a Pantheon burial and volition besides beryllium the archetypal entertainer honored.

Holocaust subsister Simone Veil, 1 of France’s astir revered politicians, was buried astatine the Pantheon successful 2018. The different women are 2 who fought with the French Resistance during World War II — Germaine Tillion and Genevieve de Gaulle-Anthonioz — and Nobel Prize-winning chemist Curie.

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The monument besides holds the remains of 72 men.

Born successful St. Louis, Missouri, Baker became a megastar successful the 1930s, particularly successful France, wherever she moved successful 1925 arsenic she was seeking to fly racism and segregation successful the United States.

Baker rapidly became celebrated for her “banana skirt” creation routines and wowed audiences astatine the Theatre des Champs-Elysees and aboriginal astatine the Folies Bergere successful Paris.

She became a French national aft her matrimony to industrialist Jean Lion successful 1937.

During World War II, she joined the French Resistance. Amid different missions, she collected accusation from German officials she met astatine parties and carried messages hidden successful her underwear to England and different countries, utilizing her prima presumption to warrant her travels.

A civilian rights activist, she took portion successful 1963 successful the March connected Washington for Jobs and Freedom alongside the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who made his “I Have A Dream” speech.

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