My Two Loves are My Country and Paris: Queer and African American Women in Interwar Paris

Abstract

Interwar Paris became known as a haven to many marginalized groups within the United States. African American women and queer women moved to the city in search of a sense of community and opportunities for success that were otherwise unavailable to them in the United States. By examining the experiences of Josephine Baker, Ada “Bricktop” Smith, and Sylvia Beach, I examine how Paris lives up to those expectations. Josephine Baker provides insight into live as a performer of color, and how prejudices impacted her successes in Paris. Ada “Bricktop” Smith represents the experiences of Black business owners in the growing Parisian jazz scene, and how African Americans sought community with one another in Paris. Finally, Sylvia Beach embodies the experiences of queer white women in Paris, and how the experiences of queer women abroad were in some way like Baker and Bricktop. By examining personal correspondences, art pieces, fashion, and media surrounding these women, I discover how race and sexuality changed the experiences of Americans who moved to Paris during the 1920s and 30s. By analyzing seemingly disparate subjects, I aim to discover the intersectional experiences of marginalized émigrés in Paris. Though Paris was depicted as a city which was welcoming to all races, genders, and sexualities, this was not necessarily the reality of live within the City of Lights.