Source: http://www.jerryjazzmusician.com

In 1952, Josephine Baker challenged the policy of racial segregation at the upscale Stork Club restaurant in New York City by sitting down at a table and ordering lunch. Walter Winchell, a famous journalist, observed the scene and requested that the Federal Bureau of Investigation follow up with an inquiry concerning any possible communist affiliations. In the midst of the Cold War, aggressive challenges to the prevailing standard of racial etiquette were seen as not just un-American, but pro-communist. Upon learning that Baker had made critical remarks about racial segregation in the United States during several speaking engagements in South America, it worked behind the scenes to discredit her and to prevent her from performing. In 1954, Baker was barred from re-entry into the United States as a result of her outspoken views on race relations.

	To learn about the effects of the Cold War in St. Louis visit St. Mary of Victories Church