Learn How Josephine Baker Played a Vital Role in Miami's Black History

For those who know anything about the swanky jazz singer who found solace in 1920s Europe, Josephine Baker's legacy is often tied to the glitz and glamour of Paris, where she captivated audiences with her electrifying performances and became an icon of the Jazz Age.

But beyond the lights of the Folies Bergère and her deep-seated childhood in St. Louis, Baker was also a staunch civil rights activist who made an indelible impact in the United States, including right here in South Florida. On Saturday, February 15, local vinyl shop Sweat Records and Black Miami-Dade are shining a light on Baker's lesser-known Miami ties with "Josephine Baker in Miami," an event dedicated to exploring her influence and historical significance in the city.

Curated by Nadege Green, founder and lead researcher for Black Miami-Dade, and Lolo Reskin with Sweat Records, the already sold-out event will take attendees through Baker's time in Miami, where she helped desegregate a whites-only club on Miami Beach and connected with the city's historic Black neighborhoods like Overtown and Liberty City. As they both tell New Times, the long-time friends have wanted to create an event like this for some time and decided the legacy of Baker in Miami was one they truly wanted to hone in on.

"This year is the centennial of the Harlem Renaissance," Green explains. "New York is doing it up big with countless celebrations, but the Harlem Renaissance is also a story of the Black South and migration. These stories and some of the key figures of the Harlem Renaissance are in direct conversation with Miami."

Josephine Baker's Miami Spotlight

The evening will offer more than a standard listening party or lecture detailing Baker's connections here. It will feature a short video essay by Dr. Terri Francis, author of Josephine Baker's Cinematic Prism, followed by a discussion highlighting Baker's role in Miami's civil rights movement.

In addition, to mark five years since its founding, Black Miami-Dade will debut its first zine at the event under its new print initiative, Black Miami-Dade Publications. As Green describes it, the zine is a tactile piece designed to preserve and share the city's typically overlooked Black stories.

"We need more analog and tactile things to exist in the world where we can discover them," Green says. "The first zine will be about Josephine Baker's time in Miami, and people can purchase it for a small contribution that supports more of this work as I continue to build out a zine library of Miami's Black history."

Hosting the conversation at Sweat Records is an intentional choice. The independent record store has long been a hub for Miami's music community and prides itself on curating deep selections of Black music from all over the world, and with Baker's soul-gripping, nostalgic repertoire of songs, it was pretty much a no-brainer for the record store to hone in on her as the artist of choosing.

"Miami has such a rich history in the world of Black music, and we want to educate people about the important figures who lived and created art right here in their backyards and the issues they faced in their time."

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"Miami has such a rich history in the world of Black music, and we want to educate people about the important figures who lived and created art right here in their backyards and the issues they faced in their time," says Reskin of Sweat Records. "This is part one of a three-part series. We'd love to keep it going as there's so much more to feature — from Miami's post-Harlem Renaissance era, through the '60s and '70s soul/funk scene, to Miami Bass and beyond."

Baker's impact in Miami extended beyond performances — she was a force for change. In 1951, she famously refused to perform at the segregated Copa City Club on Miami Beach unless Black patrons were allowed entry. Her insistence eventually led to the club breaking its segregation policy, a moment that marked a small yet significant milestone in Miami's fight for racial equality.

Still, Baker's presence in the city wasn't only about protest; it was also about community, as characterized by a famous tea party held for Baker at a Liberty City home filled with Black celebrities and locals at the time.

Black History Everyday

The enthusiasm for this event around South Florida was evident, as tickets sold out within just a few days of its announcement. While seating and walk-ups will be extremely limited, this is just the beginning of a series that will continue to delve into Miami's Black musical and cultural legacy.

As Green emphasizes, Black Miami-Dade's commitment to history naturally extends well beyond Black History Month. Upcoming events include a talk on the impact of jazz composer Cab Calloway and his sister, Blanche, in Miami, as well as a poetic speakeasy inspired by Langston Hughes' very own writings on Overtown.

"At Black Miami-Dade, Black history is year-round," she says. "The musical contributions of the Harlem Renaissance are a gift to the world. Sweat Records is an amazing Miami musical space that is homegrown, so it just made sense that this lecture series would happen there."

More than just a night of discussion, this important event is a reminder that the history of Black Miami is deep, vibrant, and still unfolding. For Green, bringing these histories to the forefront is not just about education — it's about continuous visibility and celebration of Black excellence within the 305.

"New York had the Harlem Renaissance, but Miami had its own stories to tell," Reskin adds. "Josephine Baker was here, and so was the movement. We're just getting started."

Josephine Baker in Miami. 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, February 15, at Sweat Records, 5505 NE Second Ave., Miami; 786-693-9309; sweatrecordsmiami.com. Sold out.