Untold Stories of the Titanic: The Only Black Passenger
A virtual lecture by Kellie Carter Jackson Ph.D. The sinking of the Titanic in April 1912 generated a plethora of books, films, and exhibitions. But the tragic story of Haitian engineer Joseph Laroche (1886-1912), his French wife, and their children and descendants have been largely excluded from history. In this lecture, Carter Jackson explores the unexplored aspect of race, and traces how Laroche’s story allows us to better understand the possibilities and limitations of black travel at the time of the Titanic tragedy.
Kellie Carter Jackson is the Knafel Assistant Professor of the Humanities in the Department of Africana Studies at Wellesley College. She was also the 2019-2020 Newhouse Faculty Fellow for the Center of the Humanities at Wellesley College. Carter Jackson's research focuses on slavery and the abolitionists, violence as a political discourse, historical film, and black women’s history. She earned her B.A at her beloved Howard University and her Ph.D from Columbia University working with the esteemed historian Eric Foner. Her book, Force & Freedom: Black Abolitionists and the Politics of Violence (University of Pennsylvania Press), examines the conditions that led some black abolitionists to believe slavery might only be abolished by violent force. In Force and Freedom, Carter Jackson provides the first historical analysis exclusively focused on the tactical use of violence among antebellum black activists. Force and Freedom is a finalist for the Frederick Douglass Book Prize, winner of the James H. Broussard Best First Book Prize given by SHEAR (Society for Historians of the Early American Republic) and a finalist for the Museum of African American History (MAAH) Stone Book Prize Award for 2019. The Washington Post listed Force and Freedom as one of 13 books to read on the history of Black America for those who really want to learn. Her interview, “A History of Violent Protest” on Slate’s What’s Next podcast was listed as one of the best of 2020.
Carter Jackson is also co-editor of Reconsidering Roots: Race, Politics, & Memory (Athens: University of Georgia Press). With a forward written by Henry Louis Gates Jr., Reconsidering Roots is the first scholarly collection of essays devoted entirely to understanding the remarkable tenacity of Alex Haley’s visual, cultural, and political influence on American history. Carter Jackson and Erica Ball have also edited a Special Issue on the 40th Anniversary of Roots for Transition Magazine (Issue 122}. Together, Ball and Carter Jackson have curated the largest collection essays dedicated to the history and impact of Roots. Carter Jackson was also featured in the History Channel's documentary, Roots: A History Revealed which was nominated for a NAACP Image Award in 2016.
Carter Jackson is a co-host on the podcast, “This Day in Political Esoteric History” with Jody Avirgan and Nicole Hemmer. Her essays have been featured in The Washington Post, The Atlantic, The Los Angeles Times, NPR, Time, The Conversation, Boston’s NPR Blog Cognoscenti, Black Perspectives, and Quartz. She has also been interviewed for her expertise for MSNBC, SkyNews (UK) New York Times, PBS, Vox, The Huff Post, the BBC, Boston Public Radio, Al Jazeera International, Slate, The Telegraph, Reader’s Digest, CBC, and Radio One. Carter Jackson also sits on the board for Transition Magazine where other essays of hers have been published. She has been featured in a host of documentaries on history and race in the United States. Carter Jackson is also a commissioner for the Massachusetts Historical Commission, where she represents the Museum of African American History in Boston.
Her current book manuscript is titled, “Losing Laroche: the Story of the Only Black Passenger on the Titanic.” She examines the story of the Haitian Joseph Laroche, his French wife, and their descendants which is largely unknown and demonstrates how we have imagined Atlantic travel on the Titanic as a set of white privileges. While much has been researched on the Titanic regarding its construction, crew, and passengers; Carter Jackson explores the unexplored aspect of race and our obsession with one ship thought to be supreme. She traces how Laroche allows us to better understand the possibilities and limitations of black travel in the Titanic moment and our love affair with whiteness and wealth.