Josephine Baker Research Paper

Words: 255
Pages: 2

Josephine Baker’s real name is Freda Josephine McDonald. She was born on June 3, 1906 in St. Louis, Missouri. Her mother’s name was Carrie McDonald and she was a washerwoman. She wanted to be a music hall dancer. Baker’s father was a drummer and he abandoned his family. Carrie soon remarried and had more children. When Josephine was eight years old she helped support her family by cleaning houses and babysitting. The people she worked for treated her poorly. Two years she returned to school but she ran away when she was thirteen. She became a waitress at a nightclub and met a man named Willie Wells. She soon married him and they divorced weeks later. This is when she first took up dancing. In 1919 she went on tour with the Jones Family Band