French honor for Josephine Baker stirs conflict over racism

By ARNO PEDRAM
Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — A Black woman will, for the first time, join other luminaries interred in France’s Pantheon. That woman is entertainer Josephine Baker, and the honor will take place Tuesday. But critics in France say that by focusing on an American-born figure, France is continuing a long tradition of decrying racism abroad while failing to face up to it at home. The decision to honor Baker in such a high-profile way has highlighted the divide between France’s official doctrine of colorblind universalism and its increasingly vocal opponents, who argue that policy has masked generations of systemic racism. Lawyers and academics have chronicled years of discrimination in police violence, in housing and in employment in France, notably against people with African or Arab origins.