Maison Noire Américaine

01/02/2026

Happy Black History Month Famille! ✨🖤

From The Bay to Paris and the Diaspora, from the archives to the streets, from the ancestors to the future—we honor Black brilliance, Black presence, and Black legacy in all its global expressions.

At Maison Noire Américaine, Black history isn’t confined to a month. It is lived, traveled, written, cooked, worn, danced, and remembered—across the U.S., France, and around the globe—where our stories have long shaped culture, art, and intellectual life.

This month, we celebrate the visionaries who crossed oceans, the communities that took root, and the joy, resistance, elegance, and genius that continue to ripple across generations.

Here’s to knowing where we come from—and claiming where we’re going.

Bienvenue à Black History Month. ✨

GlobalBlackCulture BlackLegacy BlackJoy

18/01/2026

🙏🏾✨ We’re deeply honored by Connexion Magazine’s beautiful feature on Maison Noire Américaine — highlighting our mission to spotlight Black history, culture, and creative exchange between African Americans, the Black Diaspora and France. Thank you for capturing our story with such depth and respect — from Josephine Baker’s Panthéon celebration to the threads that bind diasporic legacies across cuisine, music, literature, and lived experience. This recognition strengthens our commitment to share a Paris that reflects all of us. 🙏🏾✨

An American non-profit is illuminating the legacy and vibrant presence of African-Americans and the African diaspora in France

01/12/2025

DEBUTANTE ELEGANCE!

Last night in Paris, 19-year-old Bronwyn Golden Vance—daughter of actors Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance—made a breathtaking entrance at the famed Le Bal des Débutantes, the invitation-only soirée known as the “Met Gala for teenagers.” 

Bronwyn glided into the grand ballroom of the Hôtel Shangri-La on the arm of her twin brother, showing up in a couture gown specially crafted for her by French designer Stéphane Rolland. 

Beyond the glam — piano, lacrosse, philanthropy. Bronwyn’s résumé shines as bright as her gown: she’s a Harvard freshman, musician, lacrosse player, and teen philanthropist who once raised over $60,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. 

Last night wasn’t just about stepping into society — it was a celebration of heritage, poise, and the debut of a young woman ready to write her own story on her own terms.



[Le Bal des Débutantes, Paris, November 29 2025]

30/11/2025

🕊️ Adieu Akio 🕊️

With heavy hearts and deep gratitude, we at Maison Noire Américaine honor the life of Akio Bouillon — a gentle spirit, a bridge between worlds, and a living testament to the legacy of his mother, Joséphine Baker.

We first met Akio in the early 2000s at Château des Milandes, his childhood home. He moved through those rooms with quiet grace, carrying memories that kept his mother’s love, courage, and radical humanity alive for all who listened.

Years later, on November 30, 2021, at our Panthéon induction gala “Josephine en Rose,” we were blessed to greet him again — warm, humble, radiant in spirit. Even in a room full of admiration, he carried himself with gentle dignity, always ready to share, to listen, to uplift.

Born in Tokyo yet forever a son of the Périgord, Akio embraced his adopted home with devotion. He held close the memory of the Rainbow Tribe, the 12 children Joséphine gathered from around the world — a living declaration that love transcends borders and origin.

He answered every call from schools, historians, and curious hearts, speaking lovingly to ensure his mother’s legacy, her fight for justice, and her message of inclusion would never fade.

On November 25, 2025, at age 73, Akio passed away peacefully at his home in Saint-Cyprien, Dordogne — in the land he loved and that loved him back.

To Akio: thank you for your light, your humility, and your devotion to truth and memory. Thank you for guarding love across continents. Thank you for reminding us that roots are not only blood or birthplace, but belonging, chosen family, and shared purpose.

May your spirit rest among the ancestors — in the hills of Périgord, in the halls of Les Milandes, and in the whispered prayers of all who continue the work of dignity and unity.

Forever in gratitude,
Maison Noire Américaine

27/11/2025

Happy Thanksgiving, Famille!

Today, across tables big and small, we honor the power of coming together - not just to eat, but to remember, to celebrate, and to root ourselves in the legacy that carries us. Whether we are in Paris, Oakland, Atlanta, Dakar, Guadeloupe, or somewhere in between, we gather as one community, one diaspora, one beautifully expansive family.

We give thanks for the stories passed down, the ancestors who cleared the path, the meals that hold our memories, and the joy we continue to make wherever we land. May your day be filled with nourishment — of spirit, of culture, of connection.

From our Maison to yours, merci for being part of our global tribe. We see you, we appreciate you, and we’re grateful to build this vision with you.

🍂 With love, Maison Noire Américaine

22/09/2025

🌟 100 years later…the stage that made her a LEGEND honors her again.🌟

On October 4, 2025, the legendary Théâtre des Champs-Élysées will come alive in honor of a woman who forever changed Paris—and the world: Josephine Baker.

One hundred years after her historic debut on this very stage (October 2, 1925), Paris will celebrate her dazzling career and indomitable spirit. A star of the music hall, a singer, an actress, a mother, a Resistance heroine, and a passionate civil rights activist—Josephine Baker remains a timeless icon of daring, grace, and radiance.

Expect an unforgettable evening of music, dance, and tribute, where her energy and legacy will burn as brightly as ever.

🎶 Josephine Baker Gala
📍 Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, 15 Avenue Montaigne, 75008 Paris
🗓 Saturday, October 4, 2025 | 8 PM
💶 Tickets from €30
🔗 theatrechampselysees.fr (link in bio)

A Maison Noire Américaine must for lovers of culture, legacy, and luminous Black brilliance.

19/09/2025

✨ New in Black Paris ✨

From Savannah to the Seine, James Beard Award–winning chef Mashama Bailey has opened L’Arrêt by The Grey in Paris’s 7th arrondissement.

Housed in the former Café de l’Espérance, L’Arrêt blends the soul of Southern Port City cuisine with the elegance of a Left Bank bistro. Think: celery soup, oeuf mayo, croque monsieur—simple, satisfying plates now, with brunch coming in August and full dinner service launching September 8.

With its dark green facade, preserved marble counters, and a story rooted in diaspora history, L’Arrêt isn’t just a restaurant—it’s a cultural bridge.

📍 Rue de l’Université, a short stroll from the Musée d’Orsay and the Seine.

💛 Maison Noire Recommends: Add L’Arrêt to your Black Paris itinerary. This is where Southern soul meets Parisian style—and it’s already buzzing with locals.

16/09/2025

✨ Community Partner Spotlight ✨

Our friends at The Californien Agency + The Red Wheelbarrow Bookstore invite you to a special literary event with acclaimed author Fatima Shaik. 📚

She’ll be presenting her powerful nonfiction work, Economy Hall: The Hidden History of a Free Black Brotherhood, as part of Le Festival Jazz Nouvelle-Orléans à la Goutte d’Or 🎷 (Sept 19–21), celebrating the deep cultural ties between New Orleans and Paris.

📍 Event Details
🗓 Saturday, Sept 21
🕓 4:00 PM
📚 The Red Wheelbarrow Bookstore
📌 11, rue de Médicis, 75006 Paris

Come discover the story of free men of color in 19th-century New Orleans whose fight for justice shaped history — from the Haitian Revolution to the birth of jazz.

05/09/2025

✨ 10 YEARS OF FLAVOR! ✨

Maison famille Chef Jennifer Hill Booker is celebrating the 10th anniversary reprint of her debut cookbook Field Peas to Foie Gras: Southern Recipes with a French Accent! 🍴

From Tomato Okra Gravy to Apple Galette with Chantilly Crème, her recipes marry Southern roots + French finesse in the most delicious way. 🇺🇸🇫🇷

📖 This commemorative edition features 130+ recipes, heartfelt stories, and stunning photography that capture her journey from Mississippi to Paris and beyond.

✨ To celebrate, we’re giving away a FREE signed copy of Field Peas to Foie Gras! ✨

👉 Here’s how to enter:
1️⃣ Follow + 
2️⃣ Like this post ❤️
3️⃣ Tag a friend who loves Southern or French food (each tag = an entry!)

Winner announced September 30, 2025! 🥂

Don’t want to wait? Signed copies are available now at: ChefJenniferHillBooker.com (link in bio!)


03/09/2025

🖤 Virgil Abloh: The Codes

“This is just the beginning of our work to share Virgil’s legacy and principles with the creative community and the broader world. Sharing his personal collection, unfinished projects, and magnum opuses with the public is how we celebrate Virgil’s legacy and his commitment to making information accessible and collaborative.” — Shannon Abloh, CEO of Virgil Abloh Securities & President of the Virgil Abloh Foundation

This fall, Paris pays tribute to Virgil Abloh with the first major European exhibition dedicated to his legacy.

From September 30 – October 10, 2025, the newly restored Grand Palais will host The Codes, a landmark exhibition presented by the Virgil Abloh Archive™ in partnership with Nike.

Spanning 13,000 sq ft, the exhibition will feature over 1,000 objects drawn from Abloh’s 20,000-piece archive—including sketches, prototypes, personal collections, and unfinished projects. Many will be on view for the first time.

Curated by Chloe Sultan and Mahfuz Sultan, The Codes traces nearly two decades of Abloh’s multidisciplinary practice: fashion, music, architecture, sneakers, art, furniture, and more. The exhibition highlights the “codes”—the principles and methods—that connected his wide-ranging output and made his work instantly recognizable.

Alongside the exhibition, a program of publications, workshops, performances, and screenings will extend Abloh’s ethos of community and conversation during Paris Fashion Week.

📍 Grand Palais, Paris
📅 Sept 30 – Oct 10, 2025

17/07/2025

✨ Black Girl in Paris - A Love Letter to Becoming ✨

Set in 1986 Paris, BLACK GIRL IN PARIS is a short film that tells the luminous story of Eden, a young Black woman from Alabama who journeys to the City of Light to follow her dream of becoming a writer. Immersed in a vibrant world of bohemians and expats, Eden embarks on a powerful path of self-discovery—learning, loving, stumbling, and ultimately finding her own voice.

Brought to life by filmmakers Natalie Baszile and Hyacinth Parker, this deeply resonant coming-of-age film centers Blackness, queerness, and creative longing with the nuance and care they deserve. With a shared commitment to telling realistic, layered stories of Black people and people of color, Baszile and Parker invite us to see ourselves fully—flawed, resilient, joyful, and whole.

🖤 Black Girl in Paris invites you into a world of Black expat life, identity, race, sexuality, and the unshakable hope of artistic purpose—all in the shadow of James Baldwin’s enduring legacy.

🎬 See the film this summer at the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival this August.
Link in bio. Don’t miss it.

16/07/2025

💧Fountain of Youth? Say less. Pharrell’s just dropped another fire collab with — limited-edition glass bottles in blue + green, still or sparkling, serving hydration with haute energy. Each one flexes the mantra: “This is the Fountain of Youth.”

It’s not just water, it’s a vibe: wellness, joy, and glow-up energy all in a bottle.✨

This marks their second link-up — the first being a tennis-core apparel drop timed with a major NYC tournament. And yes, evian’s got a whole designer résumé: Balmain, Virgil, Moncler… now Pharrell again.

🛑 Limited edition. Maximum drip. ✊🏾