Essence gu™
  • FASHION
    • FASHION NEWS
    • ACCESSORIES
    • FEATURES
    • FASHION WEEK
  • BEAUTY
    • SKIN
    • MAKEUP
    • HAIR
    • NAILS
  • ENTERTAINMENT
    • GU JAMS
    • FILM
    • TV
    • RADIO
    • BOOKS
    • TECH
    • SPORTS
  • WELLNESS
    • RELATIONSHIPS
    • SEX
    • HEALTH
    • FOOD
    • ASTROLOGY
  • BUSINESS
    • ENTREPRENEURSHIP
    • MONEY
    • CAREERS
    • ADVICE
  • FEEDBACK
    • NEWS
    • IDENTITY
    • ACTIVISM
    • POLITICS
    • LET’S TALK ABOUT IT
  • SHOPPING
    • FASHION
    • BEAUTY
    • TECH
    • LIFESTYLE
  • Videos
  • GU Summit 2024
  • ESSENCE.COM
  • SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Girls United Accessibility Statement

Subscribe to Trending News

Our weekly newsletter with the latest celebrity news, fashion updates, interviews and exclusive offers!

Your email is required.
Your email is in invalid format.
Confirm email is required.
Email did not match.
By clicking Subscribe Now, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. By supplying your cell phone number, you consent to receive marketing messages from ESSENCE. Please note that standard messaging rates apply from your provider.
  • FASHION
    • FASHION NEWS
    • ACCESSORIES
    • FEATURES
    • FASHION WEEK
  • BEAUTY
    • SKIN
    • MAKEUP
    • HAIR
    • NAILS
  • ENTERTAINMENT
    • GU JAMS
    • FILM
    • TV
    • RADIO
    • BOOKS
    • TECH
    • SPORTS
  • WELLNESS
    • RELATIONSHIPS
    • SEX
    • HEALTH
    • FOOD
    • ASTROLOGY
  • BUSINESS
    • ENTREPRENEURSHIP
    • MONEY
    • CAREERS
    • ADVICE
  • FEEDBACK
    • NEWS
    • IDENTITY
    • ACTIVISM
    • POLITICS
    • LET’S TALK ABOUT IT
  • SHOPPING
    • FASHION
    • BEAUTY
    • TECH
    • LIFESTYLE
  • Videos
  • GU Summit 2024
  • ESSENCE.COM
  • SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER
Home • Bo$$y

For 'Class in Session,' We Broke Down The Legacies of Josephine Baker And Lena Horne

The first episode of our new video series is about the music and activism of Josephine Baker and Lena Horne.
For ‘Class In Session,’ We Broke Down The Legacies of Josephine Baker And Lena Horne
circa 1920: American singer and dancer Josephine Baker (1906 – 1975). (Photo by G. L. Manuel Freres/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
By Brooklyn White · Updated May 1, 2024

For Black History Month, we’re rolling out “Class in session,” our video series about iconic Black figures. In the first episode, I talked about Josephine Baker and Lena Horne, two Black women who changed the world through their music and activism.

Josephine Baker, a singer and dancer, was born in Missouri in 1906. Her family was poor, and as a young girl, she had to work to help make ends meet. She began dancing on the street for extra money, and soon, her street dances became vaudeville performances. Baker is best known for her performances in Paris, France, specifically “Danse Sauvage,” the banana skirt routine.

Baker was also a civil rights activist. When Martin Luther King Jr. was killed in 1968, Coretta Scott-King asked Baker to take over the civil rights movement. Although Baker declined, she has gone down in history for her willingness to fight for the rights of Black people worldwide.

For ‘Class in Session,’ we also talked about singer, dancer, and actress, Lena Horne. You likely remember her for her portrayal of Glinda, the Good Witch in the 1978 film The Wiz. She started out busking in New York, and went on to perform at the Harlem Cotton Club in her late teens. At 21, she relocated to Hollywood, California, and signed with MGM. This deal made her the highest paid Black actress in the country.

Horne’s career wasn’t without struggle, though. She was often restricted to singing roles, which could be easily cut from films that would be played in the Deep South. She was also accused of being a Communist for her ties to activists, and this led to her being blacklisted. She was unable to find much work as an actress for about seven years, but that didn’t stop her from fighting for civil rights. Horne attended the March on Washington in 1963, and was vocal about the discrimination she faced as a Black entertainer. Her legacy is one of dignity, strength, and courage.

Watch the first episode of ‘Class in Session’ below.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

TOPICS:  Class In Session Josephine Baker video series
Malcolm X Was More Than A Foil For Martin Luther King, Jr.

COMPANY
INFORMATION

OUR COMPANY
CONTACT US
JOB OPPORTUNITIES

SUBSCRIBE

NEWSLETTERS
DISCOVER MORE EVENTS
Follow Us

MORE ON
ESSENCE GU™

HOME
RELATIONSHIPS
BEAUTY
HAIR
FASHION
EVENTS

ESSENCE GU™ is part of ESSENCE Ventures

ESSENCE GU™ may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.

©2023 ESSENCE Ventures. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Essence.com Advertising Terms | Accessibility Statement