Alice Fennelly grew up in Loveland, surrounded by the Rocky Mountains and bronze sculptures.

Now, living in a suburb of Paris, she was inspired by the life story of Joséphine Baker — a woman filled with grace and courage, who lived the sort of life that best-sellers are made of, a Black American who moved to Paris at age 19 and set the world on fire. Baker was a dancer and performer, who was also much more, serving as a spy, adopting 12 children and speaking out for freedom.

Walking through Le Vésinet, Fennelly would pass Baker’s villa and learned of this woman, so incredible yet also somewhat unknown. She was famous, she accomplished so much, but there were no streets named for her, no plaza, no park, no monuments.

Fennelly decided to change that, and in doing so, she reached out from

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