Uploaded January 2023 | Updated September 2026, 6 hours ago

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Entertainer Josephine Baker was among the first Black women to star in feature films during the 1920s and 1930s and holds monumental significance for the understanding of American film history. Terri Simone Francis, associate professor, department of cinematic arts, School of Communication, University of Miami reflects on Josephine Baker’s influence as both an international cultural figure and an African American film pioneer.
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The Rajiv Vaidya Memorial Lecture Series affords an opportunity for prominent filmmakers to discuss their work and for notable scholars to present perspectives on the history of film as an art form. Dr. Shailendra Vaidya of Chester County, Pennsylvania, and family and friends, have generously endowed this series in honor of Rajiv Vaidya, a film devotee and writer who held a degree in creative writing from Johns Hopkins University.

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