27. In Her Childhood, Josephine Baker Was Homeless, Forced to Scavenge Food From Trash Cans
Baker’s parents struggled to make ends meet. She was raised in poverty in a poor neighborhood that consisted mostly of boarding houses, whorehouses, and apartments without running water or indoor plumbing. Growing up, Baker often went hungry, and was always poorly dressed in second or third-hand hand-me-downs. Playing with other urchins in the rail yard, she developed street smarts that served her well in her future career.
The young girl’s schooling was spotty. Eventually, Baker dropped out of school at age twelve, having progressed only to fifth grade. For a while, she lived as a street kid in St. Louis’ slums, sleeping in cardboard boxes, scavenging food from trash cans, and earning a bit of money every now and then by dancing on street corners. Things stabilized somewhat when she got a job, at age thirteen, as a waitress. While waiting tables, she met and married a man named Willie Wells, but things quickly soured between the duo, and she got a divorce.
