Soldiers carry the cenotaph containing soil from various places where famed Black French-American singer and dancer Josephine Baker lived, covered with a French flag, during her Nov. 30 induction ceremony into the Pantheon, where key figures from France’s history are honored in Paris.
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French honor for Josephine Baker stirs conflict over racism
On the surface, it’s a powerful message against racism: A Black woman will, for the first time, join other luminaries interred in France’s Pantheon. But by choosing a U.S.-born figure/entertainer Josephine Baker—critics say France is continuing a long tradition of decrying racism abroad while obscuring it at home.
