Miami Beach will mark Josephine Baker's 1951 stand against segregated audiences with a public ceremony on Thursday, Nov. 12, at 11 a.m. in Maurice Gibb Memorial Park, 1700 Purdy Ave. The City of Miami Beach and its Commission for Women will unveil a rendering of the coming Josephine Baker Florida Historical Marker, which is set to be installed at 1301 Dade Blvd., the address where the Copa City nightclub once stood.

The event is free and outdoors, and it puts a name recognized around the world on a piece of Miami Beach history that many residents drive past without knowing it.

What happened at Copa City

Copa City opened at 1301 Dade Blvd. on Dec. 23, 1948, on the same lot where an earlier club, the Copa Cabana, had operated from 1944 until a fire destroyed it in 1948. The Miami Design Preservation League notes that the new club was designed by Norman Giller and Norman Bel Geddes for owner Murray Weinger.

In 1950, the club offered Baker a large sum to perform. By then she was an established star in Paris and Cuba. She declined to take the stage in front of a whites-only crowd and agreed to the booking only after the club accepted a clause in her contract stating that guests would be admitted without regard to race, color or creed. According to the city, the venue was owned at the time by Weinger and Ned Schuyler, who served as co-owner and general manager.

Baker opened on Jan. 10, 1951. To make sure the room reflected the terms she had won, she brought in both Black and white celebrities from New York for the first night. The preservation league reports that the show was a success and that the same anti-segregation language later became a standard part of her performance contracts at venues across the United States.

The city describes her appearance as a landmark moment in the civil rights movement, both in Miami Beach and nationally. It took place more than 75 years ago, at a time when segregated entertainment was the norm across much of the country.

Who Josephine Baker was

Baker was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the daughter of a vaudeville drummer and a laundress. She built an international career as a singer, dancer and entertainer, with her greatest success in France. During World War II she worked as a pilot and used her access to the occupying forces to gather information for the French Resistance. In the United States, she used her platform to press for civil rights, and her requirement of integrated audiences became one of the ways she did it.

The historical marker is meant to be permanent, fixing her Miami Beach story to the exact spot where it happened rather than to a general plaque or a passing mention in a history book.

Who is behind the marker

The Miami Beach Commission for Women, an advisory board to the city, championed the marker and is co-hosting the unveiling. Commission chair Lynette Long, Commissioner Tanya K. Bhatt and Mayor Steven Meiner each spoke in support of the tribute in the city's announcement, describing the marker as a lasting way to keep Baker's story in front of residents and visitors.

The city's announcement draws on the Miami Design Preservation League's research for the details of Baker's contract and opening night. The league, a preservation group, has published its own history of Copa City, the club and its owners.

Where the ceremony takes place

Thursday's unveiling is not at the marker site itself. It will be held in Maurice Gibb Memorial Park, on Purdy Avenue on the western side of the city. The former Copa City address on Dade Boulevard is in the same part of Miami Beach, so anyone curious can see where the marker will eventually stand.

What will be shown on Nov. 12 is a rendering of the marker, a preview of its design and text. The physical marker will go up later at 1301 Dade Blvd. The city has not yet announced an installation date.

If you go

What: Unveiling of the rendering for the Josephine Baker Florida Historical Marker, hosted by the City of Miami Beach and the Miami Beach Commission for Women.

When: Thursday, Nov. 12, at 11 a.m.

Where: Maurice Gibb Memorial Park, 1700 Purdy Ave., Miami Beach.

Cost: Free and open to the public.

Accessibility: For a sign language interpreter or other accommodation, the city asks for five days' notice at 305-604-2232 (select 1 for English or 2 for Spanish, then option 6). TTY users can call through the Florida Relay Service at 711.

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