"It was so strange. I knew that Josephine Baker had performed on the same stage, but that night I felt it. Many of the same people who worked with Josephine Baker are still here. They know what they're doing. And that was a very comfortable feeling"
About this Quote
The telling detail is labor. Jackson doesn’t fixate on Baker’s costumes or scandal or myth. She talks about “the same people who worked with Josephine Baker” still being there, and that they “know what they’re doing.” The subtext is lineage through craftsmanship: Black stardom isn’t only inherited through icons, it’s preserved by technicians, stage managers, and institutional know-how that outlast the spotlight. Jackson is locating legitimacy in an ecosystem, not an individual moment.
There’s also a quiet vulnerability in “comfortable.” A Jackson onstage is supposed to project inevitability, not nerves. By admitting comfort, she admits pressure: performing in a room haunted by Baker’s trailblazing glamour and political audacity could be intimidating. Instead, continuity becomes reassurance. The quote frames tradition as support rather than burden, suggesting that what makes a cultural moment survivable isn’t just talent or charisma, but being held up by people who have already helped someone else do the impossible.
Quote Details
| Topic | Music |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Jackson, LaToya. (2026, February 18). It was so strange. I knew that Josephine Baker had performed on the same stage, but that night I felt it. Many of the same people who worked with Josephine Baker are still here. They know what they're doing. And that was a very comfortable feeling. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/it-was-so-strange-i-knew-that-josephine-baker-had-81263/
Chicago Style
Jackson, LaToya. "It was so strange. I knew that Josephine Baker had performed on the same stage, but that night I felt it. Many of the same people who worked with Josephine Baker are still here. They know what they're doing. And that was a very comfortable feeling." FixQuotes. February 18, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/it-was-so-strange-i-knew-that-josephine-baker-had-81263/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"It was so strange. I knew that Josephine Baker had performed on the same stage, but that night I felt it. Many of the same people who worked with Josephine Baker are still here. They know what they're doing. And that was a very comfortable feeling." FixQuotes, 18 Feb. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/it-was-so-strange-i-knew-that-josephine-baker-had-81263/. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
