In 1912, the Titanic set sail. Did you know there were Black passengers on the ship?⠀

In 1912, the Titanic set sail.

Did you know there were Black passengers on the ship?⠀

On 10 April 1912, the Royal Mail Ship (RMS) Titanic set sail across the Atlantic on its first voyage from Southampton, England to New York City. At 52,310 tons, the Titanic was the largest passenger ship the world had ever seen. There were several prominent and wealthy people on board the ship including, John Jacob Astor IV, who was widely believed to have been the richest man in the world at the time of his dèath.⠀

The Titanic made two stops in France and Ireland before sinking on 15 April 1912. The day before, the ship’s starboard side had scraped along an iceberg which tore into 6 of the ship's compartments in the brief 10 seconds of impact, allowing water to pour into the ship at a much faster rate than the ship’s pumps could handle. 1500 people died out of the 2200 people on the ship, 1300 of whom were passengers.⠀

The Titanic was one of the most famous tragedies in modern history, but did you know that there was at least one Black family on the Titanic? ⠀

Joseph Laroche was born in Haiti 🇭🇹 to a prominent Haitian family. In 1908, he got married to Juliette Lafargue, a French woman. Laroche, his wife Juliette—who was pregnant with their third child at the time—and their two daughters, Simonne and Louise, were second-class passengers on the Titanic. Although Laroche did not survive, his family did, after he had ensured they were placed in lifeboats. ⠀

Little has been written about Laroche’s family in survivor accounts of the sinking. Even the 1912 press failed to mention the presence of black passengers. However, French researcher, Oliver Mendez, discovered Laroche’s family when he met with Louise Laroche in the 1990s. Louise had been part of the Titanic Historical Society for years but because she could only speak French, details about her family was unknown until Mendez—who was fluent in French—met with her.⠀