The Scottish Racism Project

Scottish Racism in Employment

2020-11-29T22:41:00.016+00:00

Model Eunice Olúmidé, Scout Scottie Brannan

‘The way the media presents and packages Scotland to the world is as if it’s a completely white country, [but] walk down the street and you’ll see every single race of person on the planet.’ Edinburgh-born Nigerian model Eunice Olúmidé[1] makes up part of the diversity she espouses, her dark brown skin displaying Scotland’s visual contrast beyond its streets through the international fashion campaigns she poses for. Such a glamourous career was not an initial life choice for Eunice as a school student growing up in the city’s Wester Hailes council estate. So when a model scout approached her aged 15 walking down Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow, she first thought it was a joke having never been previously told she was attractive or pretty, quite the opposite from her racist school peers. Regardless, the afro-crowned sporty tomboy was eventually signed by Scottie Brannan, apparently determined to make her ‘Scotland’s Next Top Model’. It was certainly a unique way to gain employment, having it passively handed to you versus actively pursuing various companies to land your dream role as the vast majority of job seekers must do. However, doing so is ordinarily more difficult for workers such as Eunice because ethnic minorities are ‘more likely to be unemployed or in low-paid work, and are under-represented in senior management roles’.[2] This despite people of colour largely having better academic attainment compared to white Scots, demonstrated by Eunice’s own impressive qualifications[3] with a first-class BA in Communication and Mass Media, MA in Film Studies and another MA in Metaphysics through a scholarship she was awarded. (Yip, with that amount of educational achievement, she definitely comes from a Nigerian household!) Undisputedly, the odd racial disparity in the Scottish workforce is therefore due to "significant barriers" rooted in racism.

Job Application

Journalist & author Yasin Kakande

The disparity in unemployment rates[4] has increased since 2013 when 13.2% of ethnic minorities were out of work versus 6.9% of whites. In total, ‘only 57.4% of BAME people were in work compared with 73.8% of white people’. Moreover, even though 5% of modern Scottish apprenticeships were targeted towards ethnic minorities, only 2.1% filled those posts. More current numbers show that, even though the Scottish BAME population is approx. 7% (increasing in bigger cities like Glasgow to 12%), only 2% of the Scottish public sector are employees of colour. What’s more, the disparity is twice as high for BAME women.[5] According to 2019 research by policymakers Close the Gap[6], part of the reason for this is that, ‘47% of BAME women had experienced racism, discrimination or racial bias when applying for a job’,[7] in part because of the well-known phenomenon of ‘name privilege’. Ugandan migration expert and Reuters journalist Yasin Kakande revealed that UK job applicants from African countries change their names to sound more anglicised, for example ‘Salama’ shifts to ‘Sarah’, or ‘Dafari’ becomes ‘David’ (Rẹ̀mí for Rab C. Nesbit?) This ‘whitening’ of international CVs[8] from Nigeria, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Cameroon and the Ivory Coast can also include using a false UK residential address to mask their true nationality. Another action that up to 90% do to obscure their ethnicity as long as possible to evade the “colour cull” of racist employers is either to not include a profile photo on their application, or if they do, use photoshop to lighten their skin apparently to better fit the European aesthetic.

Glasgow-based jobseeker,
Joseph Amouzou

Discriminatory recruiters are also an issue for UK-based BAME applicants [9] like Glasgow-based Togolese jobseeker Joseph Amouzou. Being fluent in English and French, a volunteer sports coach with Shettleston Harriers athletics club, and Scotland's former under-20s triple jump champion, his 2015 CV surely read like a dream. But upon leaving school he recalls, “a white, Scottish friend and I would go out together looking for work. We would hand in our CVs, but even though we had the same qualifications, he got the calls. I thought putting my picture on my CV would show I'm smart and presentable. But then I started to wonder if having my picture - and name - on my CV made the difference.” The early revealing of his ethnicity seemingly worked against Joseph and others at the application stage, but the same would ultimately be true if their application had been taken to the interview stage.

Job Interview

Yasin Kakande’s research found that, ‘many African professionals were on course for a job until the interview stage when they noticed a distinct cooling in enthusiasm form their potential employer’.[10] This also correlates with Close the Gap reporting that 41% of BAME women had experienced racism, discrimination or racial bias during an interview.[11] One aspect of this is undoubtedly being an audio minority, and not benefiting from the ‘accent privilege’ afforded by a UK dialect, leading to epistemic racism[12] regarding who is able to produce/channel knowledge. To ‘remedy’ this, some job seekers across the African continent have undergone elocution lessons to sound more ‘British’.[13] This wasn’t an issue for Joseph Amouzou having grown up in Glasgow, or Eunice Olúmidé whose Edinburgh twang comes as a welcomed surprise down south in London. However, the principle aspect of job denial is being a visual minority and thus not ‘fitting the aesthetic’.[14] The model recounts that she has always struggled to find jobs in her own industry in Scotland where she has ‘never been given any opportunities’, causing designers and models of colour alike to move to England.

Rejected ring model, Nadiya Hussain

Though even there she has met with obstacles, as had Bangladeshi chef Nadiya Hussain who before winning the 2015 Great British Bake Off applied to be a hand model for rings. When she arrived for the interview, the room of white faces fell silent then the interviewer approached her to say, “I’m sorry I didn’t know you were black…Black hands don’t sell jewellery”[15] (…to which she later decided to model a different finger!) One equally melanated Nigerian woman reported arriving at a temp position at a large company and being told to work at reception…only a few hours later for a senior manager to angrily approach the floor supervisor and shout, ‘WHY DID YOU PUT A BLACK WOMAN WITH BRAIDS ON RECEPTION??’, apparently affronted at the ‘unsavoury’ image this natural African woman conveyed to existing and potential clients.

The African continent leads the world in female inventors

The more sinister side of not fitting the aesthetic however is the racist notion of therefore not ‘fitting the intellect’[16] of any given workplace. Yasin’s research exposed that, despite their CV ‘whitening’ efforts, a mere 5% of African job applicants were offered positions with UK corporate employers. Many more of these academically brilliant professionals were therefore instead forced to accept minimum wage positions in manual labour or the care sectors, considerably below their cognitive abilities. A broad indicator of this being that Africa has the highest number of female inventors (many with long, voluminous, bouncy braids) in the world[17], so why are Black females amongst the highest unemployment demographic in Scotland? This illogical yet prevalent ‘anti-Africa’ mindset of Britain’s largest companies however make sense to Yasin who says their attitude of ‘Africans should stay where they are until needed’ is a remnant from the colonial era, and this is also pervasive in the workplace itself.

Job Environment

Author Malorie Blackman

For those who secure employment, signing their contract surely inspires satisfaction. However, such sentiment is surely tainted upon finding out BAME workers do not get equal pay for equal work.[18] In fact, ‘Scotland tends to have wider pay gaps, where non-UK born employees in the ‘other’ ethnic group category earned 20.5% less than their white counterparts’. Renowned Barbadian author Malorie Blackman and former UK children’s laureate revealed this applied to her during the 2020 #PublishPaidMe twitter campaign saying, ‘never in my life [have I] received anything like the sums being posted by some white authors’.[19] However, Black African women are the most disenfranchised with a 19.6% pay gap with white British men[20] across the UK. The unfair salary allocations are an extension of the discriminatory attitudes to be found in the workplace itself with 72% of Close the Gap respondents saying they had experienced racism or racial bias at their job.[21] This included co-workers naming them something ‘easier to pronounce’ (what, like Torquil?) or negatively assuming they held low-paid positions like a secretary or cleaner (that last one has indignantly happened to me often). Furthermore, ‘bullying, harassment or victimisation’ had been experienced by 42%, of which 52% chose not to report to their employers.[22] Reasons for this was not believing their line manager wouldn’t back them; that reporting it would make no difference; that their grievance wouldn’t remain confidential; or that complaining would actually make things worse.

Examples of keeping quiet about workplace racism [23] are prevalent in the hospitality industry with one lady reporting that her supervisor would make fun of her accent, which she chose to 'not understand' rather than openly confront. Equally, some racist customers would tell her to 'get back to her own country' if their drink wasn’t served quickly enough. She would respond with nothing beyond a ‘look’, not wanting to be aggressive or start trouble perhaps fearing further problems to come from protesting such ignorant behaviour.

Discrimination & abuse
towards BAME NHS staff

The extent of such conduct is likely higher than actual official stats according to Coalition of Racial Equality and Rights (CRER)’s Jatin Haria. He recounts that ScotGov posed the question about racism across various sectors such as firefighters and NHS Grampian, without any investigation they just responded ‘there’s no racism in our organisation’ and ScotGov just believed them(!) Oudwin Griffith of the NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde (NHSGGC) BAME Staff forum however reports a different story in the medical sector with ethnic minority trainees receiving less patience from their supervisors than white trainees to become proficient in medical skills. Similar impatience is displayed by white patients towards their BAME carers, which at times became openly abusive. On one occasion, a staffer of colour was called ‘Taliban’, but when this was reported to their white supervisor, the response was, ‘he’s not racist, he’s just confused’…surely describing their own befuddled mindset. The support from white colleagues in this case was not clearly good enough and aptly demonstrates a scenario which Close the Gap research also revealed: of the BAME workers who did speak up about racism, just 23% were content with how their grievance was dealt with.[24]

Products for darker skin colours

Similar issues could again be seen in the modelling industry with Eunice Olúmidé reporting that during fashion campaigns for Prada, Vivienne Westwood, Scot Christopher Kane and many others, ‘the racism was just normal. I definitely felt isolated, but I got used to it and became desensitised to it all’.[25] The discrimination came early in her career when she ‘wasn’t getting basic work such as catalogues because Scotland wasn’t ready for women of colour as models.’ Then during a photoshoot for a high-end Scottish store when she was 19, a make-up artist inexperienced with Black models hadn’t brought products suitable for Eunice’s mocha brown skin.[26] She therefore used eyeliner pencils to painfully scribble over Eunice’s face, which the model later complained about. Her reasonable objection however did not result in a policy of requiring all make-up artists to come equipped with products for all skin shades, but instead with Eunice being seen as ‘difficult to work with’. Rather than fix the problem, their ‘solution’ was to avoid it as the Nigerian model was never booked by that client again and essentially ostracised in Scotland. Oh, the irony of ‘throwing shade’ because of a model’s shade…

This indirect complicity with racism from bosses is little to no different from when they themselves are directly delivering racism. The Trade Union Congress (TUC)’s 2017 Is Racism Real report showed that, whereas racial verbal abuse (xenophobic opinions, remarks and jokes) mainly came from colleagues, racial bullying or harassment principally came from managers, as did actual assault or physical violence(!)[27] With this being the mindset of many in managerial positions, ethnic minority employees are faced with further barriers when it comes to career development.

Job Progression/Career

As has been the trend with all stages of employment, Close the Gap research also found that ‘49% of BAME women believe they were overlooked for a workplace development opportunity’.[28] Their executive director Anna Ritchie Allan said, ‘Exclusionary workplace cultures and biased employment practice prevent Scottish BAME women from entering/progressing at work, hindering their career opportunities, and contributing to their higher levels of poverty.’[29]

This occurrence has been present throughout the Scottish Racism Project series. In education[30], teachers of colour had ‘reduced access to workplace opportunities’ and ‘nearly half had experienced being overlooked for promotion’ and thus pay progression. In football[31], former professional Black players with all the qualifications to start a second career in coaching never land an opportunity to manage young players at or near the professional level, instead watching such positions go to people who had never even played professionally. In medicine[32], Black doctors experience career hinderance as they are promoted less than their white colleagues, leading to a shocking lack of diversity in senior positions across the NHS. In policing[33], there are no top ranking BAME officers, with only 1 BAME superintendent and 1 chief inspector out of 446 senior officers, and 69 BAME staffers out of 5,963 in all. In the legal system[34], highly qualified Black lawyers in Scotland like Maximus Asante have a hard enough time trying to simply getting hired never mind then being promoted through the ranks and shifting to the judiciary. In the arts[35], 50% of BAME creatives say their ethnic background was a barrier to career progression compared to just 5% of white creatives, meaning commissioners and others in arts governance are disproportionally white.

Senior Lecturer Dr Dumiso Moyo

Part of the problem is yet another well-known phenomenon of ‘moving goalposts’[36] as University of Dundee’s Dr Dumiso Moyo from Zimbabwe is unfortunately well acquainted with. The Architecture and Urban Planning lecturer has been in higher education for about 16 years because he enjoys the job which involves interacting with great students with whom to share knowledge, and amazing colleagues with whom to brainstorm ideas. However, his job satisfaction hits a brick wall when it comes to career progression. In order to be recognised as a qualified academic, he was told to reach certain goals. Goal 1 was that he needed a PhD, which he obtained but then inexplicably had ‘no value’. Goal 2 was needing experience in teaching…but ordinarily he couldn’t get this without being a recognised academic in the first place(!) After moving institutions he was able to start teaching, but still wasn’t fully recognised. Goal 3 was needing to develop certain modules/courses which he then did many times over, but it still wasn’t enough. Goal 4 was needing to develop full undergrad & postgrad degree programmes which he did but again it wasn’t enough. Goal 5 was needing to have run the degree programmes himself. Recognition time? Not on your nelly…

University of Dundee

Goal 6 was needing more experience beyond the university, so he ran programmes combined with other institutions...nope! Goal 7 was needing an actual teaching qualification, so he was accredited by the Higher Education Academy (HEA) as a Senior Fellow…nae even. Goal 8 was needing to supervise PhD students, which he happily then did 7-8 times over…no dice. Goal 9 was needing to get chartered membership of Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI)…STILL not enough! Goal 10 was being told to set up his own strategy as he had already achieved all other goals set for him…but then he was told ‘that’s an own-goal’ and had ‘no value for career progression’. After 16 years of this scholastic wild goose chase, Dr Dumiso concluded that in Scotland, African academics are considered ‘perpetual novices’ by default, no matter their qualifications/attained goals. (The automatic classification was clearly on display when a new colleague asked all students to leave an event…including his dark-skinned colleague and clearly got antsy when the ‘impetuous student’ wouldn’t depart with the others as instructed.) For white academic candidates, Goal 1 of a PhD would most likely be the finish line/defining achievement, but not for their Black counterparts.

Zaffir Hakim sacked for bringing discrimination claim

Parallel trends could be seen in the housing sector with Edinburgh-based Bangladeshi Ahsan Khan. In 2008 in his role as Loreburn Housing Association Chief Executive, he applied for a senior head of housing post with Angus Council. But even though he had extensive experience, his application did not pass to the interview stage.[37] When Ahsan mentioned the job criteria was indirectly discriminatory, the council produced a short leet for interview, curtailing its recent experience requirement specifically to the Scottish local authority scene. Though had this been specified in the original job ad, Ahsan would have included his again extensive experience in that area. In contrast, the white candidate who went on to secure the position had no housing experience whatsoever and his application in general ‘did not meet or significantly fell below the requirements of the person specifications’. Even the Scotland Trade Union Congress (STUC) displayed similar behaviour in 2014 when Zaffir Hakim, their former Equality Development Officer, failed to be promoted despite 11 years at the organisation.[38] He then raised a racial discrimination claim that STUC feared could possibly jeopardise bids for anti-racism project funding such as One Workplace Equal Rights (OWER), which Zaffir was working on at the time. When the OWER’s funding later ran out the following year, the 11-year veteran was unnecessarily made redundant when ‘other options could have been explored’. A stunned Zaffir said of his ordeal, ‘the lack of support for members by trade unions in STUC equality structures is alarming…Trade unions cannot move forward on equality issues and protecting workers if they are unable or unwilling to challenge their own practices, and supporting individuals who have carried out a protected act.’ Racial discrimination against the Equalities Officer…can I get a double take with a satirical ‘huh?’ for this serious WTF moment to the 12th power!?!!

Despite the substantial barriers to career progression, people of colour are at times indeed promoted. However, when this happens, they still run into issues such as their achievements not being recognised or tokenism, finding their role as purely ornate with any suggestions or recommendations they make usually overlooked[39] as is often the case across the arts sector. The dismissal of opinion/input is one thing, the ongoing racism directed at them is quite another. NHSGGC BAME Staff forum’s Oudwin Griffith shared that a large percentage of ethnic minority staff are on lower rungs of NHS pay scale e.g. band 2/3/4/5 with people rarely promoted to band 6/7/8/9 up to the realms of senior management. But those staffers who do get promoted have to deal with being undervalued as was the case with a Ghanaian specialist in cardiothoracic surgery. He was called for consultations all around Scotland, such was his recognised expertise. However, after 11 years, he never once got a wage increase and he decided to move away from the region, taking his life-saving medical talents with him. In other cases, promoted BAME staff experienced more exposure to racism in their ethnically isolated posts from white subordinates, peers & supervisors. As a result, some have actually requested to be demoted again, prioritising being more ethnically comfortable over financially comfortable(!)

Workplace racism affected Anne Giwa-Amu's mental wellbeing

Regardless, those who regress in their career still have to deal with racism to the extent that 57% of Close the Gap respondents said it had affected their mental wellbeing.[40] 41% wanted to quit their job all together but could not afford to do so, but for another 37% it was all too much and they handed in their notice due to racist behaviour. A textbook example of this occurred to Nigerian-Welsh Administration Officer Anne Giwa-Amu in the organisation supposed to help positively facilitate post-career life versus negatively lead to and indeed afflict it: the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

Job Pension

Institutional racism in the DWP

In 2016, Anne was the only recruit and trainee of colour in her cohort at her DWP branch. From the outset of her employment, DWP staffers treated Anne “in an insulting way deliberately intended to humiliate [her] and create a hostile environment for her”.[41] The abuse included using racist language like 'P***-lover' around her, being repeatedly accused of stealing ice cream, and using body spray on themselves while sitting beside her (even though it was their own behaviour which in fact reeked to high heaven). One putrid DWP official had even laughed at her and told co-workers that he had “touched her bum”, compounding the racism with sexual harassment with perceived impunity. The abuse unsurprisingly affected her mental health and she in March 2017 went on sick leave before later being unlawfully dismissed that October for being unable to return to work. Her final pay cheque was then withheld, leaving her economically destitute living off £55 per week. Equal Justice[42] lawyer Lawrence Davies did not mince words, saying the DWP had intentionally set out to “destroy the confidence and wellbeing of a black employee”. In the wake of the mistreatment, none of the racist perpetrators were disciplined and some were even promoted up the DWP ranks. Whilst these events occurred in Caerphilly branch in south-east Wales, the Department for Work and Pensions operate right across the UK, including Scotland. All this overt prejudice in the state benefits system is very worrying considering the DWP serves a high number of BAME claimants who will most likely suffer similarly from institutional racism within the organisation.

BAME pensioners are worse off than whites

The issue of pension-related racism[43] is indeed systemic according to research from workplace retirement income providers The People’s Pension (TPP). Their 2020 report Measuring the Ethnicity Pension Gap[44] revealed the ‘average ethnic minority pensioner’s retirement income is 24.4% less than the average white pensioner’. As is the trend throughout employment racism, the disparity is even larger amongst BAME women who on average are 51.4% worse off in retirement than white male pensioners. These figures indicate that there are several barriers in place ‘hindering the opportunities for Black people to save for retirement’ that need to be addressed.

Taking into account the sheer onslaught of racial prejudice permeating throughout the Scottish employment scene, the diverse range of racial groups Eunice Olúmidé sees walking down Edinburgh’s streets face a truly hard time trying to make a living for themselves up north. Even with the intellectual brilliance they bring to the table, their melanated aesthetic, as beautiful as it is, means BAME workers are glossed over from the prospects and indeed respect they deserve, making Scotland quite literally the inverse of a land of opportunity…

Course of Action

So now we know of the racism against people of colour in Scottish workplaces across all job sectors, what can be done about it? Let’s break it down step by step.

Eunice Olúmidé became an AAI EmployAbility patron

Regarding job applications & interviews, Yasin Kakande’s attributes the prejudice at this employment stage to unconscious bias against Africans [45], which means all employers across the UK should undergo training to address their underlying racial bias and recognise skills & talent without the ‘whitening’ of CVs. Equally, so not to ‘whiten’ their appearance, the Halo Collective have launched ‘the UK’s first Black hair code for schools and workplaces to prevent discrimination based on hair style or texture.’ Another way to add more BAME people into the work force is creating initiatives to get them onto the career ladder such as the Empower Women for Change ‘Thistles & Dandelions’ heritage project.[46] It provides a year of training which builds transferable skills to then enter the heritage sector or laterally to another industry. There’s also Adopt An Intern (now AAI EmployAbility) arranging ‘paid internships for graduates of all ages, the unemployed, underemployed and for BAME women wanting to return to work.[47] Since its 2009 inception, 13.5% of AAI facilitated internships, including returnships for those re-entering the workforce, have been people of colour. (For such great work, Eunice Olúmidé gave the 2017 keynote speech at an Edinburgh event before becoming an AAI patron.) What’s more, there’s also Commonwealth Apprenticeship Initiatives to get BAME job seekers into the workplace[48] as was the case with Joseph Amouzou. After a year of job searching, they helped him finally land a position at North Glasgow Housing Association.

Initiatives to reduce the ethnic and gender pay gap
Regarding job environments, to address the disparity in salaries, the Fawcett Society have started an annual ‘Equal Pay Day’ event to spotlight and thus help counter the gender and ethnic pay.[49] It is an initiative similar to that of 'Black Women's Equal Pay Day'[50] in the US where certain job sectors are also getting proactive on the issue. In June 2020, employees across the publishing industry went on strike, donated a day’s pay, and served the Black community (e.g. working only on books by Black authors) in a bid to help address systemic racism.[51] Indeed, in addition to conducting equal pay reviews, ‘gender-sensitive employment practices, such as offering flexible and part-time work at all levels of the organisation needs to be developed’.[52] Such actions would reflect the attitudes that need to permeate throughout the Scottish employment sector in order to give clout to Business, Fair Work and Skills Minister Jamie Hepburn’s words: ‘We believe individuals from different ethnic backgrounds enrich Scotland socially, culturally and economically. The Scottish Government is taking a number of actions to advance race equality and tackle racism within society and the labour market, and to ensure better outcomes for people from ethnic minority groups.[53] It must be our aim to ensure that each and every person in Scotland has the opportunity to work towards their goals and be supported towards securing fulfilling meaningful employment.’ In doing so, there are various benefits to employers in enhancing equality and diversity including better staff morale; improved innovation in product and service design; heightened productivity; and being able to hire from a larger talent pool.[54]

Close the Gap E.D. Anna Richie Allan

But what happens when BAME employees are met with overt racism in the workplace? Immediate steps should be taken to ensure job wellbeing charity Scottish Hazards’[55] 5 dimensions of Fair Work; effective voice, opportunity, security, fulfilment and respect to promote workplace health, safety, equality and wellbeing are restored. However, Close the Gap Executive Director Anna Ritchie Allan insists, ‘the lack of confidence in employer complaints procedures is a critical problem. We need to see strong leadership from employers on tackling discrimination and implicit bias, and systems put in place to meaningfully address concerns about racism.’[56] Otherwise there are certain steps to follow when dealing with racial discrimination [57] such as collecting evidence of the racism (emails, letters, audio recordings, etc); raising the issue informally within the organisation’s complaints structure (also asking the Citizens Advice Bureau or Equality and Human Rights Commission [EHRC] for support and guidance); then if all else fails taking the organisation to court (see following examples).

CRER chairwoman Sandra Deslandes-Clark

Regarding job progression, when it is clear there is career hinderance on racial grounds, affected workers should take legal action against the employers. This was the case with Ahsan Khan where an employment tribunal instructed Angus Council to pay him £26,054 in damages.[58] Similarly, Zaffir Hakim was awarded almost £16,680 in compensation from the STUC[59] for being unfairly dismissed and subjected to victimisation in the wake of his claim of racial discrimination. Following the initial verdict, CRER chairwoman Sandra Deslandes-Clark said: “We hope that this judgement will convince the STUC of the need to take specific, appropriate action to address the procedural, policy and personal issues underlying their treatment of Mr. Hakim, but until such time as we see evidence of action, we are unable to continue our support for the STUC…It is our responsibility as an anti-racist organisation to take a stand against victimisation, even where our own interests are at stake.”[60] (What was odd mind you was that the STUC’s own Black Workers Committee[61] said nothing about the racial discrimination and equalities related case, which seems contradictory to their supposed function…) Alternatively, workers of colour could approach UNISON Scotland Black Members Committee regarding the great work they do to address racial challenges and speak to their chair, Rakiya Suleiman.

Initiatives needed to reduce systemic racism in pension industry
Regarding job pensions, the DWP should root out systemic racism and not reward racist employees by letting them keep their jobs.[62] In the wake of Anne Giwa-Amu’s treatment, whilst the employment tribunal judge awarded her £386,060 in damages and ordered her former employers to undergo diversity awareness training from the EHRC, Anne insist the DWP were only “paying lip service to the equality legislation”. By protecting offenders and promoting them to higher positions, they were in fact promoting a culture of racism. Only by dismissing such bigots will a serious message against xenophobia be sent, which will in turn lessen any prejudice towards the DWP’s BAME claimants. There should also be more diversity within the pension industry itself [63], as is the goal of the Breaking the Mirror Image campaign launched in 2017 by the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA) as well as a five-year diversity and inclusion strategy launched in May 2020 by the Pension Protection Fund (PPF). This would then help lead to going beyond looking at race as an isolated issue and instead consider how to assist in societal factors. For example, unwarranted lower salaries that disproportionately affect people of colour and by extension negatively affects their post-retirement income. ‘Now, more than ever, is the time to examine and take efforts to remove the overt and implicit barriers to retirement saving, and to career progression within the pensions industry itself, facing ethnic minorities.’

Empowering BAME Communities

Whilst these initiatives will advance the future employment prospects and work situation of BAME employees across all job sectors, what of those who find themselves perpetually unemployed or under-employed despite their excellent qualifications? This was the case with Fife Centre for Equalities (FCE) board member Sidique Akbar’s parents who in the 1950s were invited to UK from Pakistan as were many across the British Commonwealth because there was so much work to be had rebuilding the ‘mother country’ after WWII. However, they soon noticed that BAME people were getting paid half what white people got paid for the exact same work. So if they weren’t going to be paid equal rates for equal hours, they decided to be self-employed and many started their own businesses.[64] In Sidique’s parents’ case, this was a corner shop which gave the family good security…to the point that when local whites became unemployed in bad economies, they became jealous and hateful of their recession-proof self-employed South Asian neighbours, leading to more racism than usual being directed at them. Regardless, this strategy is still being exercised by many people of colour in Scotland, including Ghanaian entrepreneur Tzaritsa Asante.

Entrepreneur Tzaritsa Asante & her fashion designs

As a typical woman of African origin, she is highly educated with a BA in Media & Communications, an MA in Politics & Communications as well as a PhD in Community Development. Though after graduating, Tzaritsa was only offered low level positions. At one entry-level job, she had the same qualifications as a white co-student from her course, but Tzaritsa was inexplicably on lower pay. She began noticing that she and other BAME applicants were always rebuffed for managerial positions even when having more qualifications & experience. At one job, they did indeed recognise her impressive abilities and skills, and thus increased her duties accordingly, but there was no corresponding increase in pay. After these and many more consistent let downs in the Scottish job market, she no longer wanted to be pigeonholed by white restrictions for a BAME career path. So securing funding from ‘Scottish Enterprise’ in Oct 2019, she decided to set up her own fashion & jewellery business called Tzari.[65] In her promotional video, she said that some refer to the town of Slamannan where she’s based as ‘the place where dreams come to die’, but she then definitely added, ‘but mine won’t!’ With that level of conviction, Eunice Olúmidé might very well be soon wearing some Tzari designs for her next fashion campaign, perpetuating each other’s job security/fulfilment and providing inspiration for other entrepreneurs of colour to follow suit.

Yes, Scotland has a long way to go before resolving its issues with racism in employment, and only with a concerted effort will progress be made.

~ by Abiọ́dún Ọlátòkunbọ̀ Abdul

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[1] Eunice Olumide on modelling, racism and the limits of feminism (23^rd March 2019)

https://www.heraldscotland.com/life_style/17517104.eunice-olumide-on-modelling-racism-and-the-limits-of-feminism/

[2] Are Scottish workplaces racist? (28^th Jan 2016)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-35421022

Non-white Scots 'face work prejudice' (28^th January 2016)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-35421018

[3] Eunice Olumide, wiki page

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eunice_Olumide

[4] Scotland’s Ethnic Minorities face overcrowding, poverty and unemployment, says equality and human rights body (18^th Aug 2016)

https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/our-work/news/scotland%E2%80%99s-ethnic-minorities-face-overcrowding-poverty-and-unemployment-says-equality

[5] Unemployment- GOV.UK Ethnic facts and figures (16^th Oct 2019)

https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/work-pay-and-benefits/unemployment-and-economic-inactivity/unemployment/latest

Addressing race inequality in Scotland: the way forward (11^th Dec 2017)

https://www.gov.scot/publications/addressing-race-inequality-scotland-way-forward/pages/3/

Problems amid progress: Improving lives and livelihoods for ethnic minorities in the United Kingdom (15^th Oct 2020)

https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/public-and-social-sector/our-insights/problems-amid-progress-improving-lives-and-livelihoods-for-ethnic-minorities-in-the-united-kingdom

[6] Close the Gap

https://www.closethegap.org.uk/

[7] Everyday racism and discrimination in Scotland's workplaces (20^th Feb 2019)

https://enei.org.uk/resources/news/everyday-racism-and-discrimination-in-scotlands-workplaces/

Still Not Visible: Black and minority ethnic women’s experience of employment in Scotland (Feb 2019)

https://www.closethegap.org.uk/content/resources/1557499847_Still-Not-Visible.pdf

[8] African jobseekers changing their names to overcome 'racist' recruiters, author claims in new book (27^th April 2020)

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/04/27/african-jobseekers-changing-names-overcome-racist-recruiters/

‘Why We Are Coming’ (17^th May 2020)

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/why-we-are-coming#/

https://www.bethestaryouare.org/post/immigration-why-we-are-coming-with-yasin-kakande

[9] Are Scottish workplaces racist? (28^th Jan 2016)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-35421022

[10] African jobseekers changing their names to overcome 'racist' recruiters, author claims in new book (27^th April 2020)

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/04/27/african-jobseekers-changing-names-overcome-racist-recruiters/

[11] Everyday racism and discrimination in Scotland's workplaces (20^th Feb 2019)

https://enei.org.uk/resources/news/everyday-racism-and-discrimination-in-scotlands-workplaces/

Still Not Visible: Black and minority ethnic women’s experience of employment in Scotland (Feb 2019)

https://www.closethegap.org.uk/content/resources/1557499847_Still-Not-Visible.pdf

[12] Confronting Epistemological Racism, Decolonizing Scholarly Knowledge: Race and Gender in Applied Linguistics (15^th June 2019)

https://academic.oup.com/applij/article/41/5/712/5519375

[13] African jobseekers changing their names to overcome 'racist' recruiters, author claims in new book (27^th April 2020)

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/04/27/african-jobseekers-changing-names-overcome-racist-recruiters/

[14] Eunice Olumide on modelling, racism and the limits of feminism (23^rd March 2019)

https://www.heraldscotland.com/life_style/17517104.eunice-olumide-on-modelling-racism-and-the-limits-of-feminism/

[15] Nadiya Hussain has recalled being told that “black hands don't sell jewellery” during modelling interview (15^th June 2020)

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/nadiya-hussain-hands-modelling-black-lives-matter-a9566641.html

[16] African jobseekers changing their names to overcome 'racist' recruiters, author claims in new book (27^th April 2020)

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/04/27/african-jobseekers-changing-names-overcome-racist-recruiters/

[17] Africa has the highest number of female inventors in the world (8^th October 2019)

https://www.pulse.ng/bi/lifestyle/africa-has-the-highest-number-of-female-inventors-in-the-world/gkq9tvj

[18] Ethnicity pay gaps: 2019 (12^th Oct 2019)

https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/articles/ethnicitypaygapsingreatbritain/2019

[19] #Publishingpaidme: authors share advances to expose racial disparities (8^th Jun 2020)

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/jun/08/publishingpaidme-authors-share-advances-to-expose-racial-disparities

[20] Black Women's Equal Pay Day Hits Reality in the UK (2^nd Aug 2017)

https://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2017/08/02/black-womens-equal-pay-day-hits-reality-in-the-uk/

[21] Everyday racism and discrimination in Scotland's workplaces (20 Feb 2019)

https://enei.org.uk/resources/news/everyday-racism-and-discrimination-in-scotlands-workplaces/

Still Not Visible: Black and minority ethnic women’s experience of employment in Scotland

https://www.closethegap.org.uk/content/resources/1557499847_Still-Not-Visible.pdf

[22] What are the employment experiences of Black and minority ethnic women in Scotland? (7 Mar 2019)

https://scvo.org.uk/p/30143/2019/03/07/what-are-the-employment-experiences-of-black-and-minority-ethnic-women-in-scotland

[23] Are Scottish workplaces racist? (28^th Jan 2016)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-35421022

[24] Everyday racism and discrimination in Scotland's workplaces (20 Feb 2019)

https://enei.org.uk/resources/news/everyday-racism-and-discrimination-in-scotlands-workplaces/

Still Not Visible: Black and minority ethnic women’s experience of employment in Scotland

https://www.closethegap.org.uk/content/resources/1557499847_Still-Not-Visible.pdf

[25] Scottish supermodel Eunice Olumide opens up about racism (3^rd Nov 2017)

https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/scottish-supermodel-eunice-olumide-opens-about-racism-1437212

[26] Eunice Olumide on modelling, racism and the limits of feminism (23^rd March 2019)

https://www.heraldscotland.com/life_style/17517104.eunice-olumide-on-modelling-racism-and-the-limits-of-feminism/

[27] Scottish Hazards Discussion Paper Workplace Racism; a health and safety issue (October 2018)

http://www.scottishhazards.org/resources/scottish-hazards-resources/scottish-hazards-discussion-paper-workplace-racism-a-health-and-safety-issue/

A report about the experiences of Black and minority ethnic workers (13^th Sept 2017)

https://www.tuc.org.uk/research-analysis/reports/racism-real

[28] Everyday racism and discrimination in Scotland's workplaces (20^th Feb 2019)

https://enei.org.uk/resources/news/everyday-racism-and-discrimination-in-scotlands-workplaces/

Still Not Visible: Black and minority ethnic women’s experience of employment in Scotland (Feb 2019)

https://www.closethegap.org.uk/content/resources/1557499847_Still-Not-Visible.pdf

[29] Racism and discrimination: the reality of work for BME women (19 Feb 2019)

https://thirdforcenews.org.uk/tfn-news/racism-and-discrimination-the-reality-of-work-for-bme-women

[30] Scottish Racism in Education https://scottish-racism.blogspot.com/2020/03/education.html

[31] Scottish Racism in Football https://scottish-racism.blogspot.com/2020/04/football.html

[32] Scottish Racism in Medicine https://scottish-racism.blogspot.com/2020/05/medicine.html

[33] Scottish Racism in Policing https://scottish-racism.blogspot.com/2020/06/policing.html

[34] Scottish Racism in the Legal System https://scottish-racism.blogspot.com/2020/07/legal-system.html

[35] Scottish Racism in the Arts https://scottish-racism.blogspot.com/2020/08/arts.html

[36] Lived experiences of the African Black academic in Higher Education (15:30 mins)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IEv_NzBYZo

[37] Housing chief wins £26,000 damages over racism claims (30^th April 2008)

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12463551.housing-chief-wins-pound26000-damages-over-racism-claims/

[38] STUC 'victimised' former employee over race discrimination claim (25th Nov 2016)

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14927233.stuc-victimised-former-employee-over-race-discrimination-claim/

The Scottish Trades Union Congress v Mr Zaffir Hakim – Equality and Human Rights Commission

https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/sites/default/files/the_scottish_trades_union_congress_v_mr_zaffir_hakim_-_summary.pdf

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5b6d997fed915d31124baf40/The_Scottish_Trades_Union_Congress_v_Mr_Zaffir_Hakim__UKEATS_0008_17_JW.pdf

[39] Publishing has ignored and pigeonholed black authors for too long (9^th Jun 2020)

https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2020/jun/09/publishing-has-ignored-and-pigeonholed-black-authors-for-too-long

[40] Scottish Hazards Discussion Paper Workplace Racism; a health and safety issue (October 2018)

http://www.scottishhazards.org/resources/scottish-hazards-resources/scottish-hazards-discussion-paper-workplace-racism-a-health-and-safety-issue/

A report about the experiences of Black and minority ethnic workers (13^th Sept 2017)

https://www.tuc.org.uk/research-analysis/reports/racism-real

[41] DWP must pay woman £400,000 after she wins claim for race and age discrimination (25^th Feb 2020)

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/bullied-dwp-worker-wins-nearly-21573529

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/feb/25/dwp-ordered-to-pay-former-trainee-400k-over-racism-and-ageism

https://www.personneltoday.com/hr/dwp-must-pay-woman-400000-after-she-wins-claim-for-race-and-age-discrimination/

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5c1d07cc40f0b66ce09143f1/Miss_Anne_Giwa-Amu_v_Department_for_Work_and_Pensions_-_1600465.2017_-_Judgment.pdf

[42] Equal Justice Solicitors UK

http://equaljustice.co.uk/

[43] Blog: Bringing down barriers (4^th June 2020)

https://www.pensionsage.com/pa/Blog-Bringing-down-barriers.php

[44] Measuring the Ethnicity Pension Gap - The People’s Pension (TPP), 2020

https://thepeoplespension.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Measuring-the-ethnicity-pensions-gap.pdf

Ethnicity and occupational pension membership in the UK - Centre for Research on Ageing, 2014

https://www.ageuk.org.uk/globalassets/age-uk/documents/reports-and-publications/reports-and-briefings/money-matters/rb_sept14_ethnicity_and_occupational_pension.pdf

[45] African jobseekers changing their names to overcome 'racist' recruiters, author claims in new book (27^th April 2020)

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/04/27/african-jobseekers-changing-names-overcome-racist-recruiters/

[46] Thistles & Dandelions Heritage Project - Empower Women for Change

http://empowerwomenforchange.org.uk/projects/thistles-dandelions-project/

[47] Scottish supermodel Eunice Olumide opens up about racism (3^rd Nov 2017)

https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/scottish-supermodel-eunice-olumide-opens-about-racism-1437212

https://www.pressreader.com/uk/the-scotsman/20171109/282054802310048

https://www.scotsman.com/business/not-profit-scottish-recruiter-rebrands-diversity-push-1401050

https://www.aai-employability.org.uk/

[48] Are Scottish workplaces racist? (28^th Jan 2016)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-35421022

Commonwealth Apprenticeship Initiative - Employability in Scotland (Dec 2010)

http://www.employabilityinscotland.com/media/192138/glasgow_works_newsletter_-_december_2010_0.pdf

[49] Equal Pay Day - The Fawcett Society

https://www.fawcettsociety.org.uk/news/the-fawcett-society-announces-date-of-equal-pay-day-2019

[50] Black Women's Equal Pay Day Hits Reality in the UK (2^nd Aug 2017)

https://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2017/08/02/black-womens-equal-pay-day-hits-reality-in-the-uk/

http://www.equalpaytoday.org/black-womens-equal-pay-day

[51] Over 1,000 Publishing Workers Strike to Protest Industry Racism (8th June 2020)

https://www.vulture.com/2020/06/publishing-strike-racism-book-industry.html

[52] What are the employment experiences of Black and minority ethnic women in Scotland? (7 Mar 2019)

https://scvo.org.uk/p/30143/2019/03/07/what-are-the-employment-experiences-of-black-and-minority-ethnic-women-in-scotland

[53] Racism and discrimination: the reality of work for BME women (19 Feb 2019)

https://thirdforcenews.org.uk/tfn-news/racism-and-discrimination-the-reality-of-work-for-bme-women

[54] What are the employment experiences of Black and minority ethnic women in Scotland? (7 Mar 2019)

https://scvo.org.uk/p/30143/2019/03/07/what-are-the-employment-experiences-of-black-and-minority-ethnic-women-in-scotland

[55] Scottish Hazards Discussion Paper Workplace Racism; a health and safety issue (October 2018)

http://www.scottishhazards.org/resources/scottish-hazards-resources/scottish-hazards-discussion-paper-workplace-racism-a-health-and-safety-issue/

A report about the experiences of Black and minority ethnic workers (13^th Sept 2017)

https://www.tuc.org.uk/research-analysis/reports/racism-real

[56] Racism and discrimination: the reality of work for BME women (19 Feb 2019)

https://thirdforcenews.org.uk/tfn-news/racism-and-discrimination-the-reality-of-work-for-bme-women

[57] Dealing with racial discrimination

https://scotland.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/advice_topics/complaints_and_court_action/discrimination_and_harassment/racial_discrimination/dealing_with_racial_discrimination

https://scotland.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/advice_topics/complaints_and_court_action/discrimination_and_harassment/racial_harassment/dealing_with_racial_harassment

https://www.gov.uk/discrimination-your-rights

[58] Housing chief wins £26,000 damages over racism claims (30^th April 2008)

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12463551.housing-chief-wins-pound26000-damages-over-racism-claims/

[59] Zaffir Hakim wins race discrimination case against STUC (16^th Aug 2018)

https://www.thenational.scot/news/16439157.zaffir-hakim-wins-race-discrimination-case-stuc/

SNP adviser under fire as anti-racism worker wins legal battle (12th April 2019)

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/17568408.snp-adviser-fire-anti-racism-worker-wins-legal-battle/

Union worker gets £17k for wrongful dismissal by Sturgeon adviser (12th April 2019)

https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/union-worker-gets-ps17k-wrongful-dismissal-sturgeon-adviser-1419929

[60] STUC 'victimised' former employee over race discrimination claim (25th Nov 2016)

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14927233.stuc-victimised-former-employee-over-race-discrimination-claim/

[61] STUC Black Workers Committee

http://www.stuc.org.uk/equalities/black-workers-committee

[62] DWP must pay woman £400,000 after she wins claim for race and age discrimination (25^th Feb 2020)

https://www.personneltoday.com/hr/dwp-must-pay-woman-400000-after-she-wins-claim-for-race-and-age-discrimination/

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/feb/25/dwp-ordered-to-pay-former-trainee-400k-over-racism-and-ageism

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/bullied-dwp-worker-wins-nearly-21573529

[63] Blog: Bringing down barriers (4^th June 2020)

https://www.pensionsage.com/pa/Blog-Bringing-down-barriers.php

Breaking The Mirror Image: Harnessing Talent Through Diversity For Better Pensions

https://www.plsa.co.uk/Policy-and-Research/Document-library/Breaking-the-mirror-image-harnessing-talent-through-diversity-for-better-pensions

[64] How do Scotland's Ethnic Groups Fare in the Labour Market? (2015)

https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/files/statistics/rgar2014/rgar-14-invited-chapter.pdf

BME employability in Glasgow - Employability in Scotland

http://www.employabilityinscotland.com/media/131739/Employability%20and%20BME%20communities%20in%20Glasgow.pdf

[65] Tzari, by Tzaritsa Asante

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zS1VHBwHKYg

https://www.facebook.com/ByTzari/

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/dare-to-dream-build-to-become

https://www.thenewabolitionists.com/abolitionists/hCA405190#hca405190

Scottish Racism towards Asylum Seekers & Refugees

2020-10-29T20:18:00.020+00:00

Actor Ncuti Gatwa, Aileen Campbell MSP

‘I definitely now view myself as a Rwandan Scot…yes, there’s such a term and I’m giving it a name today!’ That novel ethnonym was the brainchild of actor Ncuti Gatwa during the 2019 documentary Black & Scottish.[1] His quirky innovation when coining identity labels is the same quality he brought to the popular Netflix programme ‘Sex Education’ in his role as secondary school student ‘Eric Effiong’. The flamboyant gay character loves dressing in drag and steadily grows confident in his own skin, the latter being a similar aspect of Ncuti’s childhood on Scottish shores. In Black & Scottish, he noted that Scotland looks like Rwanda in landscape with its rolling hills covered in thick, lush greenery descending into river valleys. What’s more, Scotland looks like Rwanda in people, at least inwardly as similar notions of justice and hospitality inform the region’s policy of ‘welcoming refugees and asylum seekers, recognising it is a human right to be able to seek asylum in another country’.[2] This was the capacity in which Ncuti’s family arrived in Fife when he was a toddler as they fled the 1994 Rwandan genocide. But beyond the wording of refugee policies and their oversight by Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government (currently Aileen Campbell MSP), Scotland looked very different outwardly when it comes to skin colour. This then transferred inwardly for some people in negative bigoted ways which Ncuti himself experienced first-hand. Indeed, various instances of racism and ill treatment have unfortunately greeted many as they take ‘refuge’ in Scotland.

Media mistreatment

To explore this issue, let’s first clarify the difference between refugees and asylum seekers.[3] According to Amnesty International, an asylum seeker is someone who faces maltreatment and/or serious human rights violations in their country of origin. The risks to their safety and life are immense due to their race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, and their own government can’t or won’t protect them from such unjust persecution as was the case with Ncuti’s family. Because of these well-founded fears, they are unable or unwilling to stay, feeling no choice but to flee and seek protection elsewhere, claiming asylum in another territory as is their right under international law. They remain an asylum seeker until the host country decide to legally approve their asylum claim, upon which they are then classified as a refugee. As such, whilst every asylum seeker might not eventually be recognised as a refugee, every refugee is initially an asylum seeker.

Yemeni citizens displaced by UK-armed conflict

Considering the distressing reality of their plight, it is therefore truly shocking to see vitriolic headlines and reporting of certain right-wing newspapers regarding asylum seekers trying to reach the UK.[4] They often term asylum seekers more generally as ‘migrants’, removing the context of their humanitarian suffering and trying to get to safety. These include broadsheets like The Daily Telegraph stating, “Send back migrants or risk tragedy,” or tabloids like The Daily Express referring to a “taxi service” in the English Channel. Indeed, many have noted that the UK press are the most aggressive in Europe when reporting in this area.[5] By contrast, there is often underreporting of what fosters humanitarian crises that then create refugees. This includes indirect UK complicity[6] by the government keeping quiet about human rights violations like those in Egypt or Bahrain, or direct UK complicity [7] by supplying arms to fuel conflicts/atrocities like Saudi Arabia against Yemen. Though the most glaring omission is surely ‘the slightest hint of basic human compassion, impervious to the suffering endured by many…fleeing the consequences of historic western failure and greed in their homelands.’[8]

With such negative reporting (or unreporting) framing the narrative, this can unsurprisingly feed into public hostility towards asylum seekers & refugees (increasingly dispersed outside London and across UK over the past 10-20 years) as well as the wider British BAME community from similar ethnic groups…

Public mistreatment

Far from the peace of mind those fleeing persecution might think they would have when arriving in the UK, many in fact experience high levels of ‘racism and discrimination in workplaces, other institutions, their local communities and schools’.[9] Ncuti Gatwa himself shared some of his own stories of racial prejudice at his Dunfermline school from fellow students on the east coast, perhaps not surprising when a 2002 survey showed a significant numbers of Scots to be xenophobic. 25% admitted to being “slightly racist” and nearly 50% felt that saying ethnic insults like “p***” and “c*****” in relation to shops and food was acceptable. Whilst Ncuti’s experiences were in the mid-2000s, similar unreceptive attitudes from local Scots are evident a decade later after a number of refugee families were resettled throughout the region. This included the Isle of Bute on the west coast where several people objected that they had their own problems to solve ‘without trying to deal with anyone else’s’.

Glasgow-based Sudanese refugee, Hammid

Beyond those more rural communities, similar sentiment can be found not too far away in Scotland’s largest urban centre Glasgow.[10] According to one Sudanese refugee called Hammid, he was stopped by an aggressive traffic officer after having driven through an amber light with a reminder to "remember how we do things in this country". Hostile attitudes were also part of Middle Eastern refugee Daniel’s experience when dealing with public officials. He recounts, "I could see how friendly [my advisor] was with the Scottish people in front, laughing and joking. His face would change entirely when it was my turn. "It's not something you can use as evidence, but something you see and feel. The only explanation is the tone of my skin, otherwise why?"

Daniel’s supposition was validated during my interview with Fife Centre for Equalities (FCE) board member Sidique Akbar who recalls white refugees as non-visual minorities would get less hassle than refugees of colour during his time based at Fife Race Equality Council (FREC). Beyond being instantly identifiable visual minorities, being further differentiated as an audio minority by their accents didn’t help, exacerbated further by any language barrier. (He gave an example of going clubbing in his younger days and seeing brown refugees turned away by bouncers. In contrast, Sidique would put on his thickest Rab C. Nesbit twang, meaning the stupefied bouncers would indeed forgo his Pakistani façade and let him in, clearly making the most of his accent/language privilege.)

UK Islamophobia increase after NZ terror attack on mosque

Yet another dimension of prejudice some suffer from is religion. Before the 9/11 attacks in the US, Sidique principally experienced racism against his ethnicity; after 9/11, Sidique principally experienced Islamophobia against his faith, usually identifiable due to clothing choices. Indeed from 2001 to 2020, UK attacks on Muslims have increased year on year by 600% (much more than when Sidique’s parents arrived in 1950s Britain and endured street attacks by the National Front and other racist organisations). This was heavily motivated by false accusations of many being ISIS sympathisers or undercover terrorists pretending to be refugees to then attack the UK.[11] Again, those with accents/language barriers got it worse as, in addition to ‘looking’ like terrorists, they also ‘sounded’ like them. Oddly enough, UK Islamophobia increased even more after the March 2019 New Zealand terror attack where Muslims were the victims, seemingly ‘giving permission’ for British bigots to further openly express their hatefulness. This really hit close to home for Scottish Refugee Council head Sabir Zazai, a refugee from Afghanistan, who in December 2019 had ‘two short, awful words of ‘p*** scum’ scratched on [his] car, and their hateful intent was clear.’[12]

Edinburgh-based Somali refugee, Axmed

All this hostility manifesting into targeted racial slurs have on occasion spilled over into violent attacks of the kind refugees were trying to escape from in the first place. This was the case back in January 1989 when Somali refugee Axmed Abuukar Sheekh [13] and his cousin Abdirizik Mohamed Yusuf were racially abused by white football fans inside Sneaky Pete's pub in Cowgate, Edinburgh. The Stevenson College students were completely unknown to the 8-10 strong gang who it later transpired had links to the National Front hate group. They went outside where unprovoked confrontation turned physical with gang member Terence Reilly punching Axmed repeatedly before the student was stabbed. He instructed his cousin to run away and was able to drag himself to a phone box before he collapsed. He would later succumb to his injuries, dying at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. In the wake of his killing, the police arrested 3 men, but just 2, Terence Reilly and Francis Glancy, were brought to trial. After an 8-day hearing where ‘the quality of the prosecution was poor while the defendants had a brilliant QC’, neither was convicted of murder as Francis Glancy was acquitted of all charges and Terence Reilly was found guilty of mere knife ‘possession’ vs ‘use’. Their National Front affiliation was ignored during the trial and only 6 months later did the police concede that Axmed’s murder was a racial hate crime.

Edinburgh-based Syrian refugee Shahbaz after knife attack

12 years later, the same xenophobic animosity in the Scottish public was still apparent when in August 2001, 25-year-old Turkish asylum seeker of Kurdish origin Firsat Dag was stabbed to death in Sighthill, Glasgow. His unprovoked white attacker Scott Burrell who had a history of serious assault on other foreigners, yet the clear racial motivation for the murder would again later go unacknowledged. Fast forward another 16 years in May 2018, Shahbaz Ali[14] was assaulted by two men and two women in Upper Gilmore Place, Edinburgh. The 25-year-old barber was trying to protect a young female resident who the group were racially abusing when his father Sivan heard the attackers shout, “Why are you still here; why are you not back in your own country?” One of them, Sean Gorman, then stabbed Shahbaz 6 times before fleeing the scene, leaving him with critical injuries, again fighting for his life at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. Aamer Anwar, human rights lawyer for the Ali family, said numerous attacks from the wider Scottish community on the Syrian refugees are not reported because people “are too frightened to complain”. He then shared that the family had fled death to live in Scotland five years ago. “Shabaz lost nine members of his family after an attack on their city by ISIS. Racist thug [Sean Gorman]…had no regard for the life of Shabaz Ali, who had done nothing wrong, he was a hardworking and quiet young man trying to rebuild his life after Syria.

This clear anti-migrant sentiment that permeates through Scotland and the UK as a whole is not seen as ‘unkind, but a legitimate defence of [British] economy and way of life’.[15] Evidence of this was seen in an August 2020 YouGov survey showing almost 50% of Britons have ‘little or no sympathy for asylum seekers making the desperate journey across the English Channel.’ Indeed, the December 2019 general election landslide majority given to the current fundamentally anti-migrant Tory government plainly indicates the country’s increasing ease with ‘the only people allowed in [the UK] being handpicked, vetted, wealthy and from preferred races and classes - not scrappy, dispossessed and clambering on to a beach from a dinghy.’

This public apathy undoubtedly fuels the hubris of state mistreatment towards those seeking asylum…

State mistreatment

Scotland's changing demographics requires migrant workers

There has long been parliamentary rhetoric about Scotland’s need for more asylum seekers and migrants in general to sustain the economy.[16] This was former Scottish first minister Jack McConnell’s assertion in 2002 with regards to the region’s ageing population and low birth rates creating a future deficit in the workforce. Fast forward to 2018 and the same circumstances are still true, meaning the ‘Scotland is facing a catastrophe in its future ability to deliver social care to its elderly and vulnerable.’ This underscores the importance of NHS essential foreign workers as well as those in other sectors. Yet at a time when Scotland has never required migrant labour and families more, the UK government is adamant on repelling them, as are many north of the border, clearly outlined in the 2014 report ‘Asylum Seekers in Scotland: Challenging Racism at the Heart of Government’.[17] The counterintuitive increasingly hostile attitude is in step with electoral advances by far-right and racist groups across Europe bringing in harsher immigration policies throughout the continent, extending to Scotland towards EU and non-EU foreigners alike. But as mentioned before, attitudes are harsher towards non-white migrants often thought of as monolithic.

For one thing, different facets of the BAME population have different issues. The social & political needs of incoming refugee communities vary from settled BAME communities. The incoming 1st & 2nd gen refugee community require capacity building services orientating around language skills, education qualifications, visa, etc so they can enter the workforce. However, the settled 3rd & 4th gen BAME community who are already functional in all those areas require legislative measures against systemic (structural & institutional) racism aka white bigotry so they can enter the workforce, the disparity increasing significantly when we factor in gender. What’s more, there are differences between and even within different nationalities, something very apparent in the Sudanese community with the recent social upheavals in the nation. Though one area where concerns are unified is the allocation of housing often in such poor condition that white Scots would never stay there.[18] For example, in one case accommodation was given to ‘a pregnant mother with a baby whose bedroom ceiling was leaking for months’, such disrepair unsurprisingly resulting in the roof falling down in certain buildings.

Asylum seekers housed in slum conditions

For a number of years, the UK have commissioned service giants G4S, Clearel & Serco for asylum housing provision, the latter of which having a £60 million contract with the government [19] and being Scotland’s main service provider. They in turn have subcontracted the work to Orchard and Shipman, a private letting company which according to a Scottish Refugee Council[20] report have provided ‘people fleeing persecution who deserve protection the equivalent of punishment’.[21] The horror stories include being put into slum-like flats with (1) infestations (2) lack of hot water or heating (3) no keys to get into their buildings (4) housing officers reportedly entering with no warning (5) one man being called a ‘criminal’ by his housing officer, locked out of his accommodation & his few possessions confiscated. Other problems included families having to share already cramped spaces with total strangers with only a few hours’ notice. The disturbance to life routine is bad enough, made infinitely worse by the racist abuse one mother received from her new cohabitors. Her resulting request to move was ignored by the housing provider, as were most complaints about any accommodation issues, occasionally also in turn met with abusive responses.

Vulnerable women abused by detention centre guards

The appalling housing conditions subjected to asylum seekers who often already have severe persecution-related trauma adds further stress and suffering to their burden. This is particularly intense for individuals who have undergone torture or sexual violence, and then housed without a lock on their front doors. Even more shocking revelations emerged from asylum detention centres where male guards employed by Serco ‘sexually abused women in their care’.[22] The subsequent argument that any sexual encounter had been consensual was countered by ‘the power imbalance between a uniformed guard, keys jangling at his belt, and a vulnerable young woman, newly imprisoned: so extreme that it makes genuine consent on the part of detainees impossible.’ Another abuse of power included one volunteer’s first-hand account of asylum seekers in Scotland being given IUDs without being told what they were or being providing with adequate translation services to comprehend their function. As such, the government were authoritatively controlling their reproduction rights…the very type of human right abuse many seeking asylum were fleeing from in the first place (e.g. Uyghur Muslim women in China).

Lack of proper translation services are not the only problem with ‘officialdom and bureaucracy’ characterising the ‘constant obstructions in navigating the labyrinthine housing association network’.[23] Location is also an issue particularly as Serco often accommodates asylum seekers in deprived wards where housing stock is appealingly cheap. As Glasgow is the UK’s largest asylum dispersal area, such districts in the city’s sprawling east end include Carntyne West, Haghill, Easterhouse, Parkhead North and Cranhill. The loose cluster of areas over a large geographical expanse means that, unlike Glasgow’s west end and southside with many train links and subways, the east end only has a few restrictive bus routes. Cranhill Development Trust [24] support worker David Jackson says the limited transport options mean people in the asylum process have difficulty traveling to Govan-based Home Office appointments on the opposite side of the city. The trip requires getting several buses, which adds up and really stretches their already meagre card payment of £35 a week.[25] This is also problematic for ‘a mother with a child with special needs who was housed far away from the child’s nursery and doctor’.[26]

Asylum seeker Mercy Baguma & her baby son Adriel

The situation can become even more desperate for those whose “limited leave to remain” has expired, as was the case in August 2020 with Ugandan asylum seeker Mercy Baguma.[27] This meant she was no longer allowed to work, spiralling into extreme poverty with her one-year-old baby Adriel, with only the generosity of friends and charities to sustain them. Shortly afterwards, the mother was found dead in her Govan flat with her starving baby crying in his cot. The tragedy of Mercy’s situation being left destitute with dire consequences is sadly not unique. In July 2018, 300 Glasgow-based asylum seekers were spontaneously evicted from Serco properties [28], blind-siding Glasgow City Council with the sudden announcement. The move ‘sparked fears of a humanitarian crisis on the city's streets, as the council was legally prevented from housing people with no leave to remain and no recourse to public funds.’ Then in April 2020, another 300 asylum seekers were given an hour’s notice to pack up their flats and moved into hotels by Mears, a new private company providing housing and support services.[29] Being at the height of the Covid-19 lock down, another possible humanitarian crisis was brewing as social distancing was “impossible” in those conditions, potentially creating a ‘super spreader’ environment due to difficulties keeping the space ‘hygienic and aired’. On top of this, the asylum seekers also had their weekly £35 allowance withdrawn as apparently the hotel, McLays Guest House on Renfrew Street, provided ‘three meals a day, basic toiletries and a laundry service’. However, there was no consideration for top-up phone credit to sustain contact with lawyers, increased hand sanitiser use, period products for women, or extra food for a heavily pregnant woman and families with children.

Mentally distressed asylum seeker Badreddin Abadlla Adam

With no information about future housing arrangements and/or being told different stories of further transfer, feelings of increased fear, stress and anxiety were prevalent amongst those affected. This included Syrian asylum seeker Adnan Walid Elbi[30] who said the move came with ‘worsening flashbacks to torture he had experienced on his journey through Libya to the UK’. The suicidal thoughts he’d been having for weeks came to fruition a month later in May 2020 when he was found dead in his room. Adnan’s passing demonstrated the ‘spiralling mental distress of hundreds’ boarding in uncertain short-term accommodation as would be apparent just a month later in June 2020 with Sudanese asylum seeker Badreddin Abadlla Adam.[31] Housed at the Park Inn Hotel on West George Street for 3 months, he’d reportedly been treated "improperly" there and given food of "bad quality", causing him "abdominal disturbances" and to "vomit every time". He’d also been ‘kept in his room for a whole month’ which seriously affecting his mental state. Despite presenting outwardly as "smiling" and "very peaceful", he’d told a friend he was "so sad" and asked if he could ‘stab certain people who were causing him trouble’. The friend cautioned him about his ‘dangerous thoughts’, but it was not enough to assuage Badreddin. After a phone call to his solicitor complaining about the accommodation, saying he wanted to be moved and was suicidal, his erratic behaviour escalated. 90 minutes later he carried out a knife attack stabbing six people, including a police officer before being shot dead by emergency response. After the incident, another asylum seeker said ‘people were treated "like animals" and "that will make them savages"’, adding it wasn’t ‘just dangerous for asylum seekers, it's dangerous also for Scotland and the UK.’

Chilean refugee Carlos Giesen Martinez told to return to Nigeria

The hostile environment within asylum bureaucracy extends beyond the precarious housing situation into the applications themselves. This has been the experience of Glasgow-based Afghani asylum seeker Abdul Rahman Safi [32] whose case has been pending for 12 years. To live with the uncertainty of also perhaps being transferred to a hotel with a mere hour’s notice for over a decade was untenable. So last month in Sept 2020 the father of 4 finally took the drastic step of sewing his lips shut and starting a hunger strike as he camped in a tent outside the Home Office. But what happens when the Home Office response is in fact erroneous? Glasgow-based Chilean refugee Carlos Giesen Martinez [33] found out first-hand in March 2020 when his asylum application was rejected and the South American was told he should prepare to return to Nigeria(!) His UK naturalised daughter and his lawyer believe the incorrect country of origin and other errors stated in the letter was “cut and pasted” from a different claimant’s refusal and thus proof the application was not properly considered. A more disturbing error occurred with Glasgow-based Ghanaian former asylum seeker Lord Elias Apetsi McMensah [34] who was detained in March 2016 whilst reporting to the Home Office in Govan. The award-winning Strathclyde University masters student’s fresh application for “leave to remain” had apparently not been submitted on time by his lawyers, a "human error" not of Lord’s doing. Despite his wife and 2 young children living with him in Glasgow, he was immediately transported to the first of 7 immigration detention centres over the course of 2 months. The ultimate intention was to force him onto a chartered plane at London Stanstead Airport bound for Ghana where renewed persecution awaited him.

Former Scottish first minister Jack McConnell

When all is said and done, we can see that the state response to asylum seekers/refugees has not been very kind, hence a similar attitude filters into the general populous resulting in hostility and xenophobia. ‘If anything, it suits the government to have “asylum seekers” as a group regarded as the lowest of the low and deny them of their humanity, as this ‘othering’ allows them to treat them in a way that they would not attempt to treat British citizens’.[35] With these long waits for Home Office answers, refugees work skills and professional knowledge go to waste, countering former Scottish first minister Jack McConnell’s 2002 assertion that foreign workers were welcome to help sustain the economy. All this mistreatment in fact indicates the government wants to kick migrants out because of fundamental racism. This has been consistently present in the social zeitgeist, but more emboldened/pressurised by the rising right-wing populism of the last decade or so. Thus we see government policies on asylum seekers/refugees not based in logical, rational reasoning of the benefits this new workforce can bring; but purely on negative emotional irrationality and nastiness. Not only is their treatment unacceptable morally, but also legally when measured against the ‘Universal Declaration of Human Rights’ and ‘European Human Rights and Asylum Legislation & Guidance’.[36]

Racial justice campaigner
Mukami McCrum MBE

Here’s the thing, regardless of their true stance on offering asylum, countries have to be seen internationally as having progressive policies. Indeed, ‘Liberal Scots like to portray their country as a beacon of progressiveness and enlightenment’[37], recognising the idea that the ‘warm Scottish welcome is as important to those trying to build new lives here as it is to Scotland’s global image as a welcoming nation’.[38] However, this is completely disingenuous in practice as most of the ‘progressive policies’ on asylum are never in fact implemented. Kenyan racial justice campaigner and Axmed Sheekh Commemorative Group member Mukami McCrum MBE noted that the policy-practice mismatch repeats with each new incoming government. This is because they want to ‘assert themselves’ by writing a new policy rather than seeing through the implementation of the good practices already stated in previous policies. This then serves as a delaying tactic to not get anything done, wallowing in an inept status quo (similar to the campaign for justice re Axmed’s murder at the local level).

Former Labour MP and human rights champion Tony Benn

The late Labour MP Tony Benn encouraged vigilance on how we allow the government to treat asylum seekers/refugees. But perhaps Observer newspaper columnist Kevin McKenna [39] said it best: ‘As we root around in these dark places seeking righteousness for our indignation, we talk about protecting “our” borders and “our” identity. At other times, we talk of our “pride” at being Scottish or English or British. What bizarre and foolish concepts. It’s like being proud of having two eyes. They imply that being “Scottish” or “English” or “British” is to be bound by loftier values. Yet when we travel, we find that people are all really the same: they respond well to kindness; they like to share what they have; they want to bequeath peace to their children. Our nationality is an accident of birth. We do not own this country: we are merely stewards of its resources and I hope one day that we will be judged on how well we have shared them.’

After reviewing the reality of seeking UK asylum specifically in Scotland, how comfortable might Ncuti Gatwa continue to be with his coined ethnonym of ‘Rwandan Scot’? How easy is it to identify with the scenic similarities of green rolling hills aligning river valleys versus racial differences that would treat the most vulnerable with such contention? After all, on so many occasions in so many facets, Scotland has not been a safe ‘refuge’ for asylum seekers, but a dangerous enclosure that at times has been as life threatening as the places they were fleeing from…

Course of Action

So now we know of the racism against asylum seekers and refugees in Scotland, what can be done about it? Let’s break it down step by step.

Lothian health visitor Rose Tibi
Regarding media mistreatment, tabloids and broadsheets alike need to reassess their tone with less negative biased reporting against those fleeing humanitarian crises who need our humanity the most.[40] Indeed, more articles should focus on ‘the need to address the push factors driving population flows’. The United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR)[41] noted that, whilst the press gave reasons why people seek asylum in other nations (conflict, human rights abuses, etc), their coverage seldom included the need to confront the causes of such issues. As of December 2015, only 3.1% of refugee-related articles across Europe mentioned possible conflict resolution strategies to neutralise push factors, and this should enter the public consciousness more. Additionally, there should be more articles focusing on ‘the benefits that asylum seekers and migrants could bring to host countries’[42], be them economic, medical, technological or artistic. There are many to choose from, clearly illuminated by the Traces Project[43] by Counterpoint Arts spotlighting cultural contributions of artists who sought out UK sanctuary. Similarly, Amnesty International’s list of Scottish refugee success stories [44] like Lothian health visitor Rose Tibi from Sudan and her daughter Carol embody this too.

Regarding public mistreatment, people in spaces that refugees have reported receive racism (workplaces, other institutions, their local communities and schools) should receive unconscious bias/anti-racist training. Beyond that, they should be charged from breaking UK law under the Equality Act 2010[45] and be dealt with accordingly by the authorities. However, the authorities themselves must be free from discrimination [46], as clearly was not the case with Axmed Abuukar Sheekh’s 1989 stabbing. For the murder charge against his white killer to be dismissed despite so much incriminating evidence was alarming, ‘greeted with disbelief, precipitated a crisis in community relations and galvanised Black and minority ethnic communities and white anti-racists into united action’. Whilst much campaigning and protest marches through Edinburgh led to police finally classifying the attack as racially motivated, there was no review of the notorious case’s judicial proceedings which bore deep similarities to the Stephen Laurence’s deficient murder investigation blighted by institutional racism.

Ali family solicitor Aamer Anwar

However, with the introduction of the Double Jeopardy (Scotland) Act 2011, Axmed Sheekh Commemorative Group campaigners urged the Crown Office to reopen the case.[47] The Somali student’s former Stevenson College teacher Joan Weir said, ‘it is not a case of his family, who are in Somalia, wanting the case to be fought again. The issue was whether Scottish justice had moved on when dealing with racist crime and that "some kind of good" had come out of the tragedy. It remains a responsibility on those of us, Black and white, in Scotland…to try to ensure this case is included in any new review,’ a sentiment also echoed by former Edinburgh Southern MSP Jim Eadie. In the meantime, FCE’s Sidique Akbar says that whilst the refugee reception in the north of Scotland is still as problematic as before, they have fared better in places like Fife & Edinburgh that have become more ‘diverse’ over years. However, whilst there are still heinous acts like Shahbaz Ali’s 2018 attempted murder, there seemed to be more expediency in recognising it as racially motivated and charging his attacker accordingly.[48] ‘Many refugee families today are suffering racist abuse in Scotland and it’s up to decent people to stand up for their rights and ensure that the culprits are dealt with and that the local authorities act sensitively to support and if necessary rehouse victims. What the authorities cannot do is hide and pretend this is not happening’, as family solicitor Aamer Anwar insisted.

previous Scottish asylum housing provider, charity YPeople
Regarding state mistreatment, there should be a move away from the commercialisation of private housing and support services providers for asylum seekers.[49] Uniquely for-profit companies such as G4S, Clearel, Serco and Mears ‘tend to lack both empathy and specialism in this area’, resulting in the dire situations we have seen. Previously, service providers in Scotland like the charity YPeople [50] and Glasgow City Council itself were used and, even though not always perfect, there was much better insight into the particular needs of people with such vulnerabilities, certainly handled with more compassion. As such, a governmental review, backed by Chartered Institute of Housing, Shelter Scotland and the Scottish Association of Landlords, is required to again prioritise mercy and compassion in asylum housing provision over monetary savings to the extent of inhumane treatment. Particularly as devolving to un-specialised private contractors has quite clearly ‘failed to make anything like the savings that were intended to by the Home Office’. To this end, the New Scots: Refugee Integration Strategy 2018 To 2022[51] strives to tackle some of the core concerns regarding housing and access to services. Improvement in these areas as well as reduced racial hostility will surely go some way to assuage the extra mental distress compounding the already prevalent trauma that many asylum seekers carry. Additional funding should also be allocated to support them in this aspect of their health, which is currently minimal due to Tory austerity.

Lord Elias Apetsi McMensah

with former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn

The complexities of the asylum system itself also needs to be addressed so the long waiting period for Home Office answers re visas are reduced to a more workable timeframe, meaning no one else has to suffer through a 12-year delay like Mohammad Asif. Equally, more careful scrutiny of asylum claims must be enacted so such callous errors like confusing the applicant’s country of origin and decision to grant “leave to remain” like with Carlos Giesen Martinez won’t be repeated. What’s more, rushed removals of refugees without checking for resolvable errors through an appeal process for example should be stopped. In Lord Elias Apetsi McMensah’s case, it’s clear that this ‘warm, caring and intelligent man’ would have been returned to perilous circumstances if he didn’t have such a high profile in his university community [52]: being voted 2016 Student of the Year for his voluntary work linked to his Counselling MA to help other students, and elected as NUS Scotland’s Executive Committee’s Asylum and Refugee Officer. As a result, many people came to his defence and raised awareness of his situation like then Strathclyde Student Association Vice President of Diversity Raj Jeyaraj, then NUS Scotland president Vonnie Sandlan, Alison Thewliss MP and even then Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn [53] as well as many more. The added public pressure was successful and the Home Office thus granted Lord reprieve from deportation, lest his amazing people & knowledge skills be lost to his new Scottish home.

Aileen Campbell MSP & refugee graduates of hospitality training scheme

Programmes that indeed facilitated utilising refugee professional knowledge & skills to support their local Scottish communities were the Re-entry of Ethnic Minorities into Teaching (REMIT) initiative as well as the Fresh Talent scheme.[54] However, these very successful programmes were discontinued as Scotland’s control over its migrant labour decreased with the 2010 election of the Tories. Since then, ScotGov have been trying to do similar initiatives, but the Tories reportedly won’t let them. This is an example of no actual new research for new policies being needed as the information of what works ALREADY exists, demonstrated by the Diageo Learning for Life programme [55] run by leading hospitality industry charity, The Springboard Charity. The government should action the recommendations already given rather than allocation resources/money for more unnecessary research, breaking the inept status quo of the policy-practice mismatch. In this way, Aileen Campbell MSP’s proclamation regarding refugees [56] that Scots should ‘demonstrate understanding, compassion and kindness’ as well as ‘continue to build strong, resilient and supportive communities’ will have true substance.

Empowering Asylum Seekers & Refugees

Whilst these proposals will help improve the circumstances of those seeking asylum on Scottish shores, what can be done to help those currently in a vulnerable situation either from just arriving in the region or extendedly navigating the chronic complexities of the asylum system? Fortunately, there is assistance through various NGOs, charities & community-led support organisations including:

* Amnesty International Scotland https://www.amnesty.org.uk/issues/scotland

* Scottish Refugee Council https://www.scottishrefugeecouncil.org.uk/

* Scottish Action for Refugees (SAFR) https://www.scottishactionforrefugees.org/

* Refugee Survival Trust https://www.rst.org.uk/

* Refuweegee https://www.refuweegee.co.uk/

* Student Action for Refugees http://www.star-network.org.uk/index.php/campaigns/campaigns_overview

* Glasgow Refugee and Asylum Seeker Solidarity https://www.facebook.com/GUGRASS/

* Migrants Organising for Rights & Empowerment (MORE) https://www.facebook.com/MORE-Migrants-Organising-for-Rights-Empowerment-606036873186603

* Massive Outpouring of Love (MOOL) https://www.mool.scot/

* Fife Migrants Forum = https://fifemigrantsforum.org.uk/

* Asylum Housing Support (ASH) project https://ashproject.org.uk/

* Positive Action in Housing https://www.paih.org/

* Community InfoSource, https://www.infosource.org.uk/

* Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture https://www.freedomfromtorture.org/

* Unite Against Fascism as http://uaf.org.uk/

* Church Commission for Migrants in Europe https://ccme.eu/

* Churches Commission for Racial Justice https://ctbi.org.uk/racial-justice-the-long-journey-continues/

* Scottish Faiths Action For Refugees http://www.sfar.org.uk/

* Scottish Detainee Visitors http://sdv.org.uk/

Lawyer and multilinguist Debora Kayembe

Other organisations helping asylum seekers include those created by themselves, as is the case with Congolese Human Rights and International Law solicitor Debora Kayembe. After seeking refuge in the UK, she created her own linguistic company ‘Diversity Translation Services’ offering interpretation in 5 of her 7 spoken languages: Kikongo, Lingala, Swahili, French and English. Eventually settling in Midlothian, she uses her language skills to serve ‘international organisations in the USA, UK and mainland Europe by helping refugees and asylum seekers to settle within various resettlement programs as well as supporting victims of war crimes.’ She’s since become a qualified paralegal for Scottish Civil Court practice and is also a board member of the Scottish Refugee Council. Her brilliant work has won her many accolades along the way, resulting in her portrait being hung in the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE).

Poet & playwright Tawona Sithole

There are many more examples of asylum seeker contributions being celebrated, particularly in events like Refugee Festival Scotland[57] held annually in June to coincide with World Refugee Day. There’s also the portrait collection of asylum seekers known as the ‘New Scots’[58] giving ‘a snapshot of the difficulties they faced as they left their old lives for a new future in Scotland’ painted by Glasgow-based I.D. Campbell, an affiliate artist of the UNESCO Chair in Refugee Integration through Languages and the Arts.[59] Additionally, Glasgow Refugee, Asylum and Migration Network member Tawona Sithole [60] is a performance poet, playwright, and mbira (Zimbabwean instrument) musician who runs spoken word and creative writing workshops to share heritage and increase awareness of lesser-known African perspectives, using humour to challenge stereotypes and misinformation. Similarly, Sudanese refugee Leila Aboulela[61] gives voice to the racial/ethnic challenges in Scotland in her novel ‘The Kindness of Enemies’.

Other artistic endeavours include those of Highlight Arts director and playwright Sara Shaarawi [62] from Egypt who works with emerging and established artists to ‘uncovering stories about people and places affected by a range of conflicts from inequality, prejudice, war and environmental issues’. Similarly, Dance Base Associate Artist, choreographer and dancer Farah Saleh [63] from Palestine connects people with experiences of refugeehood and oppression through her work ‘Gesturing Refugees’ as well as ‘What My Body Can/t Remember’ currently in development. All these serve to help refugees process their experiences as well as foster deeper understanding of their situation within their host communities.

Yes, Scotland has a long way to go before resolving its issues with racism towards asylum seekers and refugees, and only with a concerted effort will progress be made.

~ by Abiọ́dún Ọlátòkunbọ̀ Abdul

instagram.com/abiodunoa

twitter.com/Abiodun_Abdul01

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[1] Ncuti Gatwa, Black & Scottish

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m00098n0/black-and-scottish

[2] Scottish Government, Refugees and asylum seekers

https://www.gov.scot/policies/refugees-and-asylum-seekers

[3] Amnesty International, Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Migrants

https://www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/refugees-asylum-seekers-and-migrants

[4] We should be ashamed of our response to this refugee ‘crisis’ (29 Dec 2018)

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/dec/29/we-should-be-ashamed-of-our-response-to-this-refugee-crisis

[5] UK press is the most aggressive in reporting on Europe’s ‘migrant’ crisis (14^th March 2016)

https://theconversation.com/uk-press-is-the-most-aggressive-in-reporting-on-europes-migrant-crisis-56083

How the media contributed to the migrant crisis (1^st Aug 2015)

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2019/aug/01/media-framed-migrant-crisis-disaster-reporting

[6] Why won't the UK government speak out on human rights abuses? (8^th April 2016)

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2016/apr/08/uk-government-speak-out-human-rights-abuses

[7] Underreporting on the crisis in Yemen, the complicity of the British government, and what we can do to help (10^th July 2020)

https://www.varsity.co.uk/opinion/19596

UK ‘complicit’ in devastating ‘unlawful’ Saudi led blockade of Yemen (7^th July 2020)

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200707-uk-complicit-in-devastating-unlawful-saudi-led-blockade-of-yemen/

Britain is behind the slaughter in Yemen. Here's how you could help end it (6^th Sept 2020)

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/sep/06/britain-slaughter-yemen-planes-bombs-politicians-media

[8] We should be ashamed of our response to this refugee ‘crisis’ (29 Dec 2018)

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/dec/29/we-should-be-ashamed-of-our-response-to-this-refugee-crisis

[9] We should be ashamed of our response to this refugee ‘crisis’ (29 Dec 2018)

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/dec/29/we-should-be-ashamed-of-our-response-to-this-refugee-crisis

[10] Scotland Is Not as Woke as It Thinks It Is (31 July 2018)

https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/vbj3ax/scotland-is-not-as-woke-as-it-thinks-it-is

[11] We should be ashamed of our response to this refugee ‘crisis’ (29 Dec 2018)

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/dec/29/we-should-be-ashamed-of-our-response-to-this-refugee-crisis

[12] “The hateful intent of the two short words scratched on my car was clear” (29 Dec 2019)

https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/the-hateful-intent-of-the-two-short-words-scratched-on-my-car-was-clear-the-only-thing-clearer-was-the-response-as-the-people-of-scotland-rallied-around-my-family/

https://twitter.com/sabir_zazai/status/1208442336793038848

[13] Racism, Police, and Courts in Scotland (Dec 2000)

https://www.runnymedetrust.org/bgRacismPolice.html

https://www.euppublishing.com/doi/abs/10.3366/scot.2000.0012

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000n5w5

https://www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/edinburgh-news/bbc-examine-1989-racist-murder-19044927

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/13044453.call-for-fresh-inquiry-into-racist-killing/

https://scottishcriticalheritage.wordpress.com/2020/07/13/fighting-denial-the-lothian-black-forum-and-anti-racist-protests-in-edinburgh-1989-1992/

[14] Refugee left fighting for his life after ‘racist’ attack (7 May 2018)

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/refugee-left-fighting-for-his-life-after-racist-attack-75p8r6252

Teenager pleads guilty to racially aggravated attempted murder of Syrian refugee (20^th July 2018)

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/teenager-guilty-plea-syria-refugee-attempted-murder-shabaz-ali-edinburgh-a8455891.html

[15] British hypocrisy is to blame for the deadly plight of migrants (24^th Aug 2020)

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/aug/24/british-hypocrisy-migrants

Almost half of Brits say they have little to no sympathy for migrants crossing the Channel (12^th Aug 2020)

https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/news/almost-half-of-brits-say-they-have-little-to-no-sympathy-for-migrants-crossing-the-channel/12/08/

[16] We should be ashamed of our response to this refugee ‘crisis’ (29 Dec 2018)

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/dec/29/we-should-be-ashamed-of-our-response-to-this-refugee-crisis

Scotland’s Changing Population (20^th Aug 2015)

https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/news/2015/scotlands-changing-population

[17] Asylum Seekers in Scotland: Challenging Racism at the Heart of Government (24^th Sept 2014)

https://www.euppublishing.com/doi/abs/10.3366/scot.2000.0042

[18] Revealed: the squalor inside ex-MoD camps being used to house refugees (11^th Oct 2020)

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/oct/11/revealed-the-squalor-inside-ex-mod-camps-being-used-to-house-refugees

Leaky ceilings and racist abuse: asylum housing in Scotland (1^st Sept 2014)

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/shine-a-light/leaky-ceilings-and-racist-abuse-asylum-housing-in-scotland/

Moving Towards Integration: The Housing of Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Britain (1^st Aug 2004)

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02673030600709074

[19] Poor housing for refugees causing ‘suffering and stress’ (11^th Nov 2016)

https://theferret.scot/poor-housing-refugees-suffering-stress/

[20] Scottish Refugee Council

https://www.scottishrefugeecouncil.org.uk/

[21] Leaky ceilings and racist abuse: asylum housing in Scotland (1^st Sept 2014)

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/shine-a-light/leaky-ceilings-and-racist-abuse-asylum-housing-in-scotland/

[22] The truth about sexual abuse at Yarl's Wood detention centre (29^th Oct 2013)

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/shine-a-light/truth-about-sexual-abuse-at-yarls-wood-detention-centre/

Innocent, abused and imprisoned: the women of Yarl’s Wood (1^st Aug 2019)

https://helprefugees.org/news/innocent-abused-and-imprisoned-the-women-of-yarls-wood/

[23] Scotland Is Not as Woke as It Thinks It Is (31 July 2018)

https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/vbj3ax/scotland-is-not-as-woke-as-it-thinks-it-is

[24] Cranhill Development Trust

http://www.cranhilldt.org.uk / https://twitter.com/cranhilldt

[25] Syrian man dies in Glasgow amid fears over refugees' mental health (11^th May 2020)

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/may/11/syrian-man-dies-glasgow-fears-refugees-mental-health

[26] Leaky ceilings and racist abuse: asylum housing in Scotland (1^st Sept 2014)

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/shine-a-light/leaky-ceilings-and-racist-abuse-asylum-housing-in-scotland/

[27] Asylum seeker found dead next to 'starving baby' after losing her job (25^th Aug 2020)

https://uk.yahoo.com/news/mercy-baguma-asylum-seeker-found-dead-glasgow-130027824.html

David Linden makes plea for tragic Mercy Baguma's son to be allowed to stay in the UK (9^th Sept 2020)

https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/18708212.david-linden-makes-plea-tragic-mercy-bagumas-son-allowed-stay-uk/

[28] Glasgow 'blindsided' as refugees face mass evictions (30th July 2018)

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/16384920.glasgow-blindsided-refugees-face-mass-evictions/

[29] Glasgow asylum seekers moved into hotels where distancing is 'impossible' (22^nd April 2020)

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/apr/22/glasgow-asylum-seekers-told-to-pack-up-with-an-hours-notice

[30] Syrian man dies in Glasgow amid fears over refugees' mental health (11^th May 2020)

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/may/11/syrian-man-dies-glasgow-fears-refugees-mental-health

[31] Scottish police name Sudanese man shot dead during knife attack (27^th June 2020)

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-security-glasgow/scottish-police-name-sudanese-man-shot-dead-during-knife-attack-idUSKBN23Y0RM

Glasgow attack: Knifeman pictured as family say they are 'shocked' (29^th June 2020)

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/glasgow-attack-knifemans-family-shocked-hope-injured-recover-135400964.html

[32] Asylum seeker stitches up his lips and goes on hunger strike outside Home Office building in Glasgow (21^st Sept 2020)

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/asylum-seeker-stitches-up-lips-22719225

Abdul Rahman Safi sews mouth shut as part of protest against Home Office (21^st Sept 2020)

https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/18737132.abdul-rahman-safi-sews-mouth-shut-part-protest-home-office/

Stand Up To Racism Glasgow: Update on asylum seeker hunger strike Glasgow (22^nd Sept 2020)

https://www.facebook.com/sutrglasgow/videos/767695307139102

Asylum seeker left in legal limbo refuses to end hunger strike (23^rd Sept 2020)

https://socialistworker.co.uk/art/50679

[33] Chilean dad in Glasgow told by Home Office to go back to... Nigeria (12^th March 2020)

https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/18298868.daughter-battle-look-dad/

[34] Glasgow Strathclyde University student facing deportation for "human error" is in fear of his life (21^st March 2016)

https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/14372142.glasgow-strathclyde-university-student-facing-deportation-for-human-error-is-in-fear-of-his-life/

[35] Leaky ceilings and racist abuse: asylum housing in Scotland (1^st Sept 2014)

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/shine-a-light/leaky-ceilings-and-racist-abuse-asylum-housing-in-scotland/

[36] Leaky ceilings and racist abuse: asylum housing in Scotland (1^st Sept 2014)

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/shine-a-light/leaky-ceilings-and-racist-abuse-asylum-housing-in-scotland/

[37] We should be ashamed of our response to this refugee ‘crisis’ (29 Dec 2018)

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/dec/29/we-should-be-ashamed-of-our-response-to-this-refugee-crisis

[38] “The hateful intent of the two short words scratched on my car was clear” (29 Dec 2019)

https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/the-hateful-intent-of-the-two-short-words-scratched-on-my-car-was-clear-the-only-thing-clearer-was-the-response-as-the-people-of-scotland-rallied-around-my-family/

[39] We should be ashamed of our response to this refugee ‘crisis’ (29 Dec 2018)

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/dec/29/we-should-be-ashamed-of-our-response-to-this-refugee-crisis

[40] Press Coverage of the Refugee and Migrant Crisis in the EU: A Content Analysis of Five European Countries (Dec 2015)

https://www.unhcr.org/56bb369c9.pdf

8 ways to solve the world refugee crisis

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2015/10/eight-solutions-world-refugee-crisis/

[41] United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR)

https://www.unhcr.org/uk/

[42] Press Coverage of the Refugee and Migrant Crisis in the EU: A Content Analysis of Five European Countries (Dec 2015)

https://www.unhcr.org/56bb369c9.pdf

[43] Traces Project http://www.tracesproject.org/

Celebrities who you might not realise are refugees – and did amazing things (1^st Feb 2017)

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/celebrities-who-you-might-not-9736017

Prominent refugees and their contribution to the UK – in pictures (21^st May 2019)

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/gallery/2019/may/21/prominent-refugees-and-their-contribution-to-the-uk-in-pictures

Famous or not, refugees bring much more than their belongings with them to their new countries

https://refugeeweek.org.uk/resources/facts-figures-and-contributions/famous-refugees/

[44] Scotland refugee success stories (19^th Oct 2013)

https://www.amnesty.org.uk/resources/scotland-refugee-success-stories

https://www.amnesty.org.uk/files/refugee_success_stories_17_0.pdf?YGTh0_NU38j_PdM_qTLzbGGoYqijQjrN=

Refugees’ contribution to life in Scotland celebrated (11 June 2019)

https://www.stir.ac.uk/news/2019/06/refugees-contribution-to-life-in-scotland-celebrated/

[45] Equality Act 2010: guidance

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/equality-act-2010-guidance

[46] Racism, Police, and Courts in Scotland (Dec 2000)

https://www.runnymedetrust.org/bgRacismPolice.html

https://www.euppublishing.com/doi/abs/10.3366/scot.2000.0012

[47] Call for fresh inquiry into 'racist' killing (11^th January 2012)

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/13044453.call-for-fresh-inquiry-into-racist-killing/

[48] Teenager pleads guilty to racially aggravated attempted murder of Syrian refugee (20^th July 2018)

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/teenager-guilty-plea-syria-refugee-attempted-murder-shabaz-ali-edinburgh-a8455891.html

[49] Leaky ceilings and racist abuse: asylum housing in Scotland (1^st Sept 2014)

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/shine-a-light/leaky-ceilings-and-racist-abuse-asylum-housing-in-scotland/

[50] YPeople https://www.ypeople.org.uk/

[51] New Scots: Refugee Integration Strategy 2018 To 2022

https://www.gov.scot/publications/new-scots-refugee-integration-strategy-2018-2022/pages/8/

[52] Glasgow student Lord Apetsi granted reprieve from deportation (29^th April 2016)

https://www.holyrood.com/news/view,glasgow-student-lord-apetsi-granted-reprieve-from-deportation_6911.htm

[53] Lord Elias Mensah Apetsi | We Fought Theresa May and Here I Am (14^th Sept 2019)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzwCw8GNG9k

[54] Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland Scheme: an Evidence Review

https://www2.gov.scot/resource/doc/235857/0064664.pdf

[55] Glasgow refugees celebrate graduation from pioneering training scheme (12th Aug 2019)

https://scottishbusinessnews.net/glasgow-refugees-celebrate-graduation-from-pioneering-training-scheme/

[56] Fairer Scotland, World Refugee Day (June 20, 2020)

https://blogs.gov.scot/fairer-scotland/2020/06/20/world-refugee-day/

Fairer Scotland: World Refugee Day (June 20, 2020)

http://aileencampbell.scot/1054-msp-hails-clydesdale-refugee-response

[57] Refugee Festival Scotland (20 June 2019)

https://www.refugeefestivalscotland.co.uk/programme-2019/

[58] Portraits of the asylum seekers known as the new Scots (25^th Oct 2020)

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/18819173.portraits-asylum-seekers-known-new-scots/

Portrait Painter I.D. Campbell

https://www.idcampbell.com/

[59] UNESCO Chair in Refugee Integration through Languages and the Arts

https://www.gla.ac.uk/research/az/unesco/

https://www.gla.ac.uk/research/az/unesco/artscollaborations/rilaaffiliateartists/

[60] Glasgow Refugee, Asylum and Migration Network

https://www.gla.ac.uk/research/az/gramnet/about/artists-in-residence/tawonasithole/

https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/education/staff/tawonasithole/

https://researching-multilingually-at-borders.com/?page_id=422

[61] The Kindness of Enemies by Leila Aboulela, book review: A spiritual journey to Dagestan (6^th Aug 2015)

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/kindness-enemies-leila-aboulela-book-review-spiritual-journey-dagestan-10443307.html

[62] Highlight Arts http://highlightarts.org / Sara Shaarawi https://www.sarashaarawi.org/

[63] Dance Base, Farah Saleh https://www.dancebase.co.uk/associate-artists/farah-saleh-979

Scottish Racism in History

2020-09-29T22:46:00.024+01:00

Samuel L. Jackson, enslaver John Glassford

‘This was the tartan of my slave master; I now claim his castle and his lands for my own.’ That was the intrepid line from Black American actor Samuel L. Jackson’s character Elmo McElroy, in the final scene of 2001 film 'The 51st State'.[1] Playing golf in the grounds of his newly acquired stately home, his full blown afro and dark brown skin cut a distinct contrast to his Scottish surroundings and trademark kilt (watch the film to see exactly how much dark skin he then exposes!) That he had come into a windfall fortune to purchase the property formerly owned by the enslaver of his family is all part of the comedic caper’s multifaceted plotline, also starring actual Scottish actor Robert Carlyle. Indeed, there was a Scottish theme embedded throughout this British/Canadian film, similar to how racism is embedded throughout Scotland’s history, ranging from ancient times to more recent racial injustices. Many of these will likely be covered in an upcoming October 2020 documentary Samuel L. Jackson will also feature in called 'Enslaved: The Lost History of the Transatlantic Slave Trade'.[2] The four-part series will ‘shine light on 400 years of human trafficking and the millions of Africans who were shipped to the Americas.’ Whilst we can expect the programme to be serious and explicit on the horrors of race-based mass abduction and genocide instigated by the likes of Scottish enslaver John Glassford, as The 51st State’s background plot it was implicit amongst all the action and comic relief. Overcoming Elmo McElroy’s family’s historical racism was as obscure as that very topic is in reality…right up until the end credits where Samuel L. Jackson ‘flashes’ his ultimate truth as he unfurls his kilt! So let’s also pull back the curtains of Scotland’s history with racism…right up until the present day.

Historical Racism: BCE Royalty

Pharaoh Princess Scota

It might seem odd to think there was racism in Scotland before the common era; however, the issue here is more the racial omission of the pioneering Scots who gave the region its name i.e. ancient Egyptians. Unlike what the white fantasists of Hollywood would have us believe; Egypt, a country on the African continent, was not filled with Europeans with light skin and straight hair. As infinite historical accounts (and indeed common sense) attest to, ancient Egyptians and their pharaohs were dark skinned Africans with afro hair[3], its current Arab inhabitants the result of latter-day colonialism from the east. But the particular Pharaoh of interest here is Ankhesenamun, also known as Scota which inspired the name ‘Scotland’.[4] She married a fellow Pharaoh (or possible Greek king) called Gaythelos, giving us the word ‘Gaelic’; and together they had a son called Hiber, which originated the word ‘Hibernia’, like the Edinburgh football team. Internal struggles made the royal couple leave Egypt, first settling in Spain (where Gaythelos also gave name to the north-western ‘Galicia’ region; and Hiber again inspired the word ‘Iberia’, like the airlines & cured ham), then their descendants moved to Ireland before later relocating to Scotland. Indeed, it could explain why the ancient Egyptian ‘bagpipers of Thebes’[5] instrument of choice as well as tartan kilts with pleated detailing in the back still found in Egyptian tombs & carved into statues are now prominent features in the Celtic communities of each region. Whilst some historians like Ralph Ellis have been meticulous in bringing these facts to the fore, many more like Edinburgh University Scottish history lecturer Steve Boardman have been intent on rubbishing his African roots.[6]

Racist philosopher David Hume

Such lingering aversion to admit Scotland’s ancient African heritage is not surprising considering lingering racist attitudes stemming from the likes of Scottish philosopher David Hume (1711-1776).[7] In his essay "Of National Characters", he said, ‘I am apt to suspect the Negroes to be naturally inferior to the Whites. There scarcely ever was a civilised nation of that complexion, nor even any individual, eminent either in action or in speculation. No ingenious manufacture among them, no arts, no sciences.’ This mindset amongst Scots and other western Europeans was the driving force that led to the mass enslavement of African people underpinning Scotland’s wealth during the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Before we delve into this history, let’s properly clarify the meaning of slavery related vocabulary[8] used throughout: (1) enslaved people = kidnap victims/hostages/captives (2) enslavers = kidnappers/abductors (3) middle passage = genocide (4) slave owners = human traffickers (5) slave catchers = police (6) plantations = death camps (7) mistresses = rape victims (8) discipline = torture/murder (9) overseers = torturers/murderers (10) trading = kidnapping (11) profit = theft.

Historical Racism: CE Colonialism & Transatlantic Slave Trade

Human trafficker William of Orange

Moving from BCE ancient Egyptians, there are records of Africans throughout Europe from classical times, some working as Roman soldiers across the UK between 200 and 300 CE. Fast forward to the late 1400s stretching into the 1500s, and there are more definitive records of Africans on Scottish shores. ‘Black Moors’ appeared in King James IV of Scotland’s court[9], some as invited guests or musicians, but others were reportedly enslaved. The actual transatlantic slave trade started in 1526 when the Portuguese enslavers trafficked Africans to current day Brazil. Whilst British mass enslavement of Africans purportedly began down in England with Admiral John Hawkins of Plymouth in 1554[10], come the late 1600s such human trafficking became more definitely linked with Scotland through William of Orange (1650-1702). Arriving on British shores in 1688, the Dutch-born prince also known as ‘King Billy’ was accompanied by 200 extravagantly dressed Black ‘soldiers’ aka kidnap victims[11] most likely from current day Suriname or the Dutch Antilles. The following year, he became king collectively of England, Ireland and Scotland as well as purchased Bristol human trafficker Edward Colston’s extensive shares of the Royal African Company[12], which barbarically branded their kidnap victims’ chests with the initials RAC. (For such ‘venerable’ behaviour, James Macrae of Orangfield in Ayrshire presented the city of Glasgow with a statue of King Billy, currently situated in Cathedral Square.[13])

British slave ship, people packed in inhumane conditions

Come the 1700s, Scotland’s direct involvement in the mass human trafficking accelerated in the wake of the 1707 Act of Union with England forming the British Empire.[14] The expansion in sovereignty/jurisdiction also meant an expansion of business opportunities with ‘Scottish merchants and doctors often staffing Africa-bound British slave ships that took enslaved African people and transported them to colonies in the Americas.’ There, the region was soon to become entrenched in the sugar, tobacco and cotton trades. The resulting profit aka theft from Scotland’s participation in this evil may well have produced more wealth per capita than even England’s for every financier, plantation owners (death camp human traffickers), shippers and traders (kidnappers/abductors). Indeed, many Scottish human traffickers were ‘considered among the most brutal, with life expectancy on their plantations averaging a mere four years.’[15]

Human trafficker Andrew Buchanan

One such human rights violator was Andrew Buchanan (1690-1759)[16] who made a fortune in the tobacco industry through torturing Africans in his Virginia, USA death camps, so called it was cheaper to forcibly work the captives to death then replace them with another kidnap victim from the African continent than to treat them 'humanely’. (For such financial propensity, a Glasgow street holds his name). There was also Archibald Ingram (1699-1770)[17] who again made a killing from brutalising Africans on plantations in Virginia and Maryland, then opening tobacco stores across the ‘new world’. (For such shrewd commerce, a Glasgow street is named after him too.) He went on to open the trading company Ingram & Glassford with his younger brother-in law John Glassford (1715-1783)[18] who continued in the family tobacco business reaping the benefits of African bondage. (For such business acumen, another Glasgow street bears his name, and his family portrait hangs in the People’s Palace, the city’s homage to its industrial legacy.) Following on their heels was Richard Oswald (1705-1784)[19] who in addition to harbouring African captives to harvest tobacco in Jamaica, he joined a consortium to buy Bunce Island near current day Sierra Leone from where kidnap victims were bought and sold with impunity. The Royal African Company built a slave fort aka human trafficking detention centre there, and Oswald et al. constructed a golf course on the island, dressed the African hostages in tartan from Glasgow & Bannockburn, then forced them to be caddies as the Scots played their fun wee game. (For such prudent purchasing, his name too appears on a Glasgow street, as well as Oswald Hall in Ayrshire.)

Human trafficker William Cunninghame

Yet another human trafficker was Colin Dunlop (1706-1777)[20] whose tobacco death camps helped establish the firm Colin Dunlop & Sons, one of the ‘great Virginia houses’. He then started ‘The Ship’, the first bank formed in Glasgow, bypassing the need to store his ill-gotten gains through the Edinburgh-based Royal Bank of Scotland, etc. (For such monetary aptitude, his name also adorns a Glasgow street.) Then there’s James Gillespie (1726-1797)[21] who amassed capital from tobacco and snuff death camps where many African lives were snuffed out. (For such savvy investing and his ‘philanthropic’ work, an Edinburgh high school is named after him.) Next, we have tobacco and sugar merchant William Cunninghame (1731-1799)[22] whose Jamaican estate is said to have detained and brutalised approx. 300 African hostages. With such maverick trading aka kidnapping, in central Glasgow’s ‘Merchant City’ district he was able to build an opulent family home, now the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA). Not to be outdone was Robert Cunninghame Graham (1735-1796)[23] whose sugar riches came from systematically torturing and raping his kidnap victims in Jamaica. An alumnus of Glasgow University, he then returned to Scotland and became rector of the institution which he also donated money aka stolen profits to. Similarly, James Wedderburn (1739-1807)[24] was a notorious human trafficker/brutaliser who bought the exquisite Inveresk Lodge in Edinburgh with his inhumane income.

Human trafficker Robert Milligan

Yes, upon understanding the rewards of instigating African genocide, the Scots were hungry for even more. Even when Scotland tried to withdraw from the 1707 Act of Union with England in 1745, it persisted in its fervent lust for market expansion through the mass human trafficking of Africans.[25] Beyond the merchants, Scottish people also benefited tangentially (technically every Scot at the time and indeed now), including James Watt (1736-1819).[26] The renowned engineer and inventor of the stream engine was said to be a ‘catalyst in the Industrial Revolution’ and key figure in the ‘Scottish Enlightenment’. However, his father, James Watt senior, was an enslaver and colonial merchant aka human lives thief who funded his son’s endeavours. (For such celebrated innovation, a Glasgow street is named for James Watt junior, and his statue stands in George Square before the City Chambers.) Then there was Scot Robert Milligan (1746-1809)[27] whose African thievery in Kingston, Jamaica included the 'Dick and Milligan' enterprise ‘involved in the bulk buying of kidnap victims, to be sold on the island.’ Other enterprises included 'Milligan and Mitchell' which detained and brutalised approx. 526 African hostages in its sugar death camps. He also built London’s West India Docks, which had a monopoly on importing West Indian products like sugar, rum and coffee. (For such fiscal foresight, a London street was named after him, and a statue erected in West India Quay). Let’s not forget Lieutenant-General John Moore (1761-1809)[28] whose army crusades helped to prop up the British Empire aka mass global exploitation. One such undertaking was to crush a 1796 rebellion by Africans who’d fought to regain their human rights in St Lucia, meaning his fellow whites could get back to genocide, torture, rape and theft as usual. (For such valiant endeavours, his statue was the first to be installed in Glasgow’s George Square.)

Human trafficker Abram Lyle

Come the 1800s, the Scottish economy was booming as its ‘Tobacco Lords’ and human traffickers specialising in other trades aka mass theft was at a fever pitch, making Glasgow in particular the ‘2nd city of Empire’ after London. Throughout that period, at any given time only about 70 or 80 African kidnap victims were actually on Scottish shores[29], but the region mainly grew from the exploits of Africans hostages in the colonies. As current Glasgow Council leader Susan Aitken said, ‘[Scotland] went from one of the poorest nations to the workshop of the world in little over a century and streams of capital from the Caribbean…were driving that.’[30] So by the turn of the century, an astounding 30% of Jamaica death camps were Scottish owned, and by 1817, they had 32% of the African captives there.[31] It’s said that even Scots Bard Rabbie Burns (1759-1796) was contemplating a job as a plantation book-keeper when financially hard up before poetry rejuvenated his income. Indeed, perhaps the death camp he would had headed for was one owned by Abram Lyle (1820-1891).[32] He was one half of sugar magnate 'Tate & Lyle' who also produced golden syrup. Even ‘holy’ institutions benefited from the evil trade, particularly the Wee Free Church in its break from the Church of Scotland.[33] Requiring funds to establish itself, it accepted stolen profits from pro-slavery aka African exploitation churches in the USA.

Great tyrant Henry Dundas

Morality was therefore not a driving force for Scottish people in relation to the mass human trafficking of Africans; however, the economy certainly was. That was the basis on which Scottish economist Adam Smith (1723-1790) proposed that the Transatlantic slave trade ultimately impeded economic growth by ‘hampering freedom of enterprise’ rather than augmenting it.[34] This eventually paved the way for politician William Wilberforce to sponsor a 1791 parliamentary motion to abolish mass enslavement of Africans. The motion fell, and the following year in 1792 it finally passed, but only after a forced amendment by Home Secretary Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville (1742-1811).[35] The Scottish politician also known as ‘the Great Tyrant’ insisted the wording be changed to say that ‘slavery should be gradually abolished’. This meant another 15 years passed where over half a million more African captives were forced to endure the genocidal middle passage across the Atlantic. (For such sound politicking, an Edinburgh street bears his name, and his stature atop a 150ft monument has pride of place in St Andrew’s Square.) Only in 1807 were British ships no longer used for this purpose when the ‘Slave Trade Act’ was passed. Though actual ownership of African kidnap victims continued to be legal throughout almost all the British Empire until 1833 when the ‘Slavery Abolition Act’ was passed, and still did not fully cease until 1838.

Human trafficker James Duff

The fact that the abolition of slavery was not rooted in morality (i.e. valuing/respecting African humanity and recognising Black lives matter) but economics was made clear in the aftermath. Rather than compensating Africans for their kidnap, torture, rape and all-around brutalisation, the British government only compensated the former human traffickers who had done the kidnapping, torturing, raping in the first place(!) This included army General James Duff MP (1752-1839)[36] who was awarded £4,101 (over £3m today) for freeing his 202 captives from Jamaica’s Grange Sugar Estate. Other Scots were not so compliant with the new law, including James Lumsden (1778-1856).[37] The stationery businessman and Clydesdale Bank cofounder ‘invested in blockade running companies which illegally supplied the Confederacy fighting for the continuation of slavery during the 1861-1865 American Civil war. (For such law-abiding diligence, his statue is currently situated in Cathedral Square, Glasgow.) All these just a small snippet of the sheer extent of Scots who benefited from human misery and mass murder.

Jamaican & Scottish flags, similar designs

The legacy of Scottish human trafficking can still be seen throughout the region.[38] Leith Port in Edinburgh and others in Glasgow were popular for determined Scots to sail from and find fortunes in brutalising Africans. Down the road, Glasgow’s Kingston docks bore the name of the Jamaican capital from where goods and stolen profits produced in the death camps would arrive. What’s more, roads around Glasgow were also named for places where torture-generated wealth was siphoned[39] e.g. Virginia Street, Tobago Street, Antigua Street, and of course Jamaica Street with many towns across Scotland as far flung as Peterhead named as such (hence the Caribbean is sometimes referred to as ‘the deep south of Great Britain’ [40]). The legacy too can be seen over in the Caribbean, with the Jamaican flag design mirroring that of the Scottish flag i.e. St Andrew’s Cross. Furthermore, to this day surnames like Campbell, Douglas, Reid, Grant, Gordon, McFarlane, McKenzie and MacDonald proliferate across the West Indies.[41] (As such, ‘McElroy’ was a fitting surname for Samuel L. Jackson’s 51st State character, as was his adamance after acquiring his own riches to possess the property of those who had once possessed his family as ‘property’.)

Historical Racism: 1800s-1900s, Minstrels, Ku Klux Klan

Black & White minstrelsy in Scotland

Yet another indicator that the abolition of mass African enslavement was not on moral but economic grounds was their continued demeaning ridicule through the ‘Black and White Minstrel Shows’.[42] These were theatrical extravaganzas at venues such as the Edinburgh Adelphi where white actors like Thomas “Daddy” Rice in 1839 portrayed ignorant derogatory caricatures of Black people’s appearance and behaviours on stage. The shows were rooted in persistent racist ideas of African ‘inferiority’ which spread with European migration to the Americas and in part instigated/justified the Transatlantic Slave Trade. After slavery, those same racist ideas led secret society 'horse whisperer' Scots to form race-hate group the Ku Klux Klan in the USA, terrorising and lynching (savagely killing) Black people, a more brutal form of ‘entertainment’ than the ridiculing minstrel shows. Such warped ignorance and twisted perceptions were then rerouted to British Isles by performers like Horatio Lloyd and S Cowell enacting their popular “N***** Duet” for enthused Scottish audiences. Come the mid-1840s, Black American abolitionist Fredrick Douglass (1818-1895) would be appalled by yet another “new n***** extravaganza” at the Edinburgh Adelphi, leading him to describe the actors and audience alike as “filthy scum of white society, who have stolen from us a complexion denied to them by nature”. Fredrick’s denouncement carried deep weight considering Scottish newspaper ads for his informative anti-slavery talks would be next to ads for debasing minstrel shows, essentially categorising any Black presence on stage as universally synonymous with entertaining mockery.[43]

Actor Ira Aldridge

Such dehumanising minstrel portrayals also meant real Black actors like talented Glasgow University graduate Ira Aldridge (1807-1867) were equally side-lined[44], with some unduly rubbishing his English pronunciation citing the “thickness of his lips” and objecting to him playing the titular Black character in Shakespeare’s Othello in tours across Scotland. Towards the 1900s, Black and White Minstrel Shows continued across Britain in local music halls as well as local amateur productions across Scotland, even reaching remote locales like Stornoway in Lewis; Lerwick in the Shetlands; and Maybole in Ayrshire. With the advent of television, more universal coverage of “George Mitchell’s Black and White Minstrel Show” was beamed across the region, pulling in a 21 million strong viewership across the UK all the way up to 1978. Beyond that, it returned to its theatrical roots, touring the country until 1987. From mid-Victorian times in Scottish drinking houses all the way up to the late 1980s art houses, whites enjoyed deriding Black people as a form of entertainment.

Historical Racism: 1900s, Race Riots, Land Clearances

Racist trade unionist Emanuel Shinwell

Beyond minstrelsy, another phenomenon that characterised Scottish racism in the 1900s was the Glasgow ‘Harbour Riot’, also referred to as the ‘Broomielaw Race Riot’.[45] This occurred in the lead up to the ‘Battle of George Square’ on the 31st of January 1919 where 60,000 workers went on strike leading to army tanks being called in to disperse the crowds and prevent a Scottish revolution. The strikers were discontent after fighting for the British Empire in WWI (1914-1918) and returning to find they also had to fight for jobs. It brought about an era of political radicalism called ‘Red Clydeside’, during which many merchant navy sailors joined the British Seafarers' trade union (BSU). Rather than channelling the discontent towards their shipyard employers/institutional oppressors, these white Glaswegians instead directed their anger at fellow veterans i.e. Black British colonial sailors, many of which had previously fought alongside them during WWI.[46] Their vitriol was whipped up by Emanuel ‘Manny’ Shinwell (1884-1986), local secretary of the BSU, which explicitly banned Black members who ‘kept whites out of jobs’ and ‘lowered wages’ as ‘foreign workers were cheaper to hire’. Alongside Communist MP Willie Gallacher (1881-1965), Shinwell also actively campaigned to prevent Black sailors from being employed in the merchant fleet. Contrary to the philosophy that ‘the fight for work is a product of capitalism: under socialism race rivalry disappears’, Shinwell’s further incendiary talk to 600 sailors led a few hours later to the riot on the 23rd of January 1919.[47]

1919 British sailors from across the empire

Sailors of both races gathered at James Watt Street’s merchant marine office waiting to be hired when tensions inflamed. About 30 Black sailors were chased down the street by hundreds of incensed whites, with even local men joining the fray. The Black sailors made it to their boarding house in Broomielaw Street also near the River Clyde (incidentally linked to slave trade history) and locked themselves in. But the growing mob were intent on doing harm, put the building under siege and gathered weapons including remnant WWI guns, knives, batons as well as stones and bricks from the ground. The mob smashed every boarding house window to force their way inside, and the Black sailors were pushed into the street. As they were attacked, some fought back with their own guns, with one of the mob, Duncan Cowan, getting shot whilst another, Thomas Carlin, was stabbed. One Black sailor from Sierra Leone, Tom Johnson, was also stabbed, leaving a ‘gaping wound on his back’. After a time, 50 police officers arrived to restore the peace…by arresting all 30 Black attack victims for 'riot and weapons offences', and not one of the hundreds of white attackers who had started the disturbance in the first place. Whilst both injured white men were taken straight to hospital, the injured Sierra Leonean was taken straight to magistrate court before getting any medical attention.

Red Clydeside crowds in Glasgow

Later during the trial, the Black sailors’ defence lawyer Mr Cook argued ‘it was “peculiar” that no white person had been arrested for playing a part in the rioting’ and then revealed the ‘fragility of police evidence’ during the trial. The Glasgow press expressed contempt for Tom, with one newspaper describing him as ‘a darkie from Sierra Leone, who speaks little English’ even though, as a citizen of the British Empire, he was as British as anyone from Glasgow. The incident spurred by the clashing concept of ‘Britishness’ exposed the ‘dark, racist underbelly’ of the Red Clydeside movement and triggered debate on how Black seamen were being treated, much to Glasgow’s discredit. Regardless, following the 1919 race riots which also spread to other major UK ports[48], many Black British sailors were forcibly repatriated to British colonies in Africa and the Caribbean. There is a duplicitous historical irony here in that in the previous century Africans were being forced to Scotland, and then they were being forced out!

Nigerian civil engineers UK-bound on the MV Aureol

Of the few who chose to stay in Glasgow, we can surmise they continued to experience a great deal of racism. Though perhaps this bigotry ebbed slightly in the wake of WWII (1939-1945) when the Allied Forces brought Black American troops to Scottish shores.[49] Though just like the realigned racist attitudes during and after WWI, the same was to happen after WWII with Scottish racism as usual.[50] Come the 1948 arrival of the MV Empire Windrush from Jamaica, followed later in 1951 with the MV Aureol from Nigeria, many Black British colonial subjects were being called upon to help rebuild the war devastated ‘mother country’. Of these new arrivals, many academics including nurses came to Glasgow to do their medical training. Upon completion, many then returned to England to find employment but some stayed and filled various job positions in nursing, engineering and on the railways. Between the 1950s-1970s, job opportunities began drying up, and even more moved to England, coinciding with a particular mass exodus of the local Caribbean community after land was cleared for development of the railways in the late 1960’s.[51] (This parallels to successful Black British homeowners in London being cleared out of Brixton. Their houses were then bulldozed to make way for Southwyck House/Barrier Block council flats where they were ‘more acceptably’ rehoused. Equally, a successful Black American community in New York were cleared out and their houses bulldozed to make way for Central Park.)

…and that brings us up to the present day, helping to contextualise the sheer extent of Scottish racism that continuingly exists. For many, a lot of these past events will be new as Scotland so often prefers to focus on more ‘pleasant histories’ linked to trade unionism fighting for the rights of workers, albeit the white ones. Many also prefer to fight for social struggles further afield like apartheid in South Africa, civil rights in the USA, or flying the Palestinian flag rather than tackling deep rooted institutional racism at home[52], as noted by Aamer Anwar, human rights lawyer for the family of Sheku Bayoh who in 2015 was unlawfully killed by Scottish police with no repercussions. But ultimately, that highlights a populace not prone to critical thinking regarding white privilege and racism [53], as stated by the Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights (CRER)’s Zandra Yeaman and Lou Dear. As a result, ‘competition for jobs and housing used to fuel the 1919 race riots and divide society by scapegoating individuals caught up in structural economic injustice has been repeated throughout the century’, right up to 2020. This being the case, many on the receiving end of such injustice might indeed wish Samuel L. Jackson would enact his Pulp Fiction reworking of Ezekiel 25:17 and ‘strike down with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers (& sisters).’

Course of Action

So now we know of the often unacknowledged racism permeating throughout Scottish history, what can be done about it? Let’s break it down step by step.

Professor Geoff Palmer
Corrective Action = Making Amends: One way to rectify the insurmountable injustice of centuries of mass human trafficking and genocide is to give reparations to the victims’ descendants who continue to be socially and psychologically affected by it today. This recourse was adopted by the University of Glasgow in 2018[54] who made a £20 million reparative justice commitment to atone for its ‘self-serving and exploitative’ involvement in enslaving Africans by ‘increasing diversity, reducing the degree attainment gap, offering exchange programmes and scholarships to students of Caribbean descent, creating a centre for the study of historical and present-day slavery and its legacies, and installing a plaque meant to memorialise the enslaved on campus.’ In addition, it allocated a rotating professorship and a signed a ‘memorandum of understanding’ with the University of the West Indies as part of a greater partnership being cultivated over time. It is a drop in the ocean for Glasgow University receiving the equivalent of up to £200 million in stolen profits from the tobacco, sugar and cotton trades of the 1700s and 1800s. But many like Jamaican Professor Emeritus of Life Sciences at Heriot-Watt University Sir Geoff Palmer and Jamaican SNP Glasgow city councillor Graham Campbell praised it as a step in the right direction, and were ‘fully expectant of other academic institutions to follow Glasgow’s lead’. Conversely, others are against making amends like academic Joanna Williams who questioned the university’s repentant gestures,[55] saying ‘to suggest that people alive today are responsible for the sins of their ancestors is a step too far.’ Sharing her sentiment is Scotland’s leading historian Tom Devine who doesn’t even want the government to issue an apology for the Transatlantic Slave Trade [56], apparently weary of the level of stolen profit reparations the region would then have to give back. Graham Campbell took the opposite view, but also pointed out an official apology would be ‘meaningless if there isn’t also a proper educational programme with the citizens that involves them in the process of recovering their own history.’[57]

Cllr Graham Campbell

Corrective Action = Education: Such attitudes can more often than not be cured through learning, and there are so many mediums where this can take place. This includes commissioning TV programmes like documentary mini-series ‘Slavery: Scotland’s Hidden Shame’[58] and ‘Scotland & the Klan’, or radio programmes like the 7-part series ‘Scotland's Black History’.[59] More immediate forums to learn this important history would be at local exhibitions[60] similar to the 2014 ‘Emancipation Acts’ co-produced by Graham Campbell, or the 2017 ‘Blockade Runners’ at the Riverside Museum which spotlighted how ships built on the River Clyde illegally prolonged the American Civil War and slavery by extension. Even more effective would be a permanent museum dedicated to the history of slavery alongside empire, colonialism and migration[61], similar to the ones in Liverpool or Bristol. Unlike those cities, Glasgow currently has ‘no permanent reminder of its foundational wealth source nor any memorial to the victims who remain flickering figures at the edge of their collective consciousness.’ In Nov 2018, Council leader Susan Aitken announced discussions about possible sites for this, with one fitting possibility being the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA), itself a former human trafficker’s residence built on the backs of African stolen profits. Renewed June 2020 debate saw MSPs back the creation of such a facility asap.

Researcher Marenka Thompson-Odlum

Beyond these elective educational pursuits, there has been calls for Afro-Scots history to be a more permanent fixture in the core curriculum.[62] Edinburgh-born Nigerian model Eunice Olúmidé in particular wants us to ‘look at slavery in the same way we look at the Holocaust’. She added, ‘For some reason when we talk about this period in history it isn’t met with the same response, which is utter disgust, utter disdain. It’s not really taught, even though it’s the basis on which modern capitalism was built. There’s a wilful amnesia about the subject. Part of it is guilt and the other part of it is vested interests,’ suggesting there are some companies who don’t want to be landed with a reparation bill like Glasgow University is volunteering to pay. Regardless of this pushback, Eunice submitted a petition to the Scottish Parliament to update the curriculum, suggesting topics like artefacts of African diaspora, cultural and economic contributions. Scientific contributions would also be welcomed, such as that of John Edmonstone (1793-18++)[63] who was born enslaved, but once freed studied taxidermy which he eventually started teaching at the University of Edinburgh with Charles Darwin amongst his students. Eunice's petition also suggests coverage of British Empire’s role in shaping world inequalities, and the benefits to Scotland from colonies of the Caribbean and Africa. This is partially already in effect as ‘history books and other literature is being rewritten while historical figures previously called “heroes” are now being subjected to new critiques.’[64] Other useful tools to facilitate this would be the Scottish Slavery Map[65] launched online in 2016 showing where human traffickers lived in Scotland when applying for compensation of ‘lost property’ after the 1833 ‘Slavery Abolition Act’. All this is very important for St Lucian University of Glasgow PhD researcher Marenka Thompson-Odlum[66] who said, ‘I just think it’s good to acknowledge your history, because once you acknowledge it you begin to understand ideas of whiteness and white privilege; you see the discrepancies between people and you see how the idea of racism was born. Once you understand the roots of all that, you start to see where people are coming from and it is possible to move forward together.’

The University of Edinburgh has also tried to follow this ethos, with their law school running a ‘Slavery in 18th Century Scotland’ course[67], and participating in the ‘International Network of Scholars and Activists for Afrikan Reparations’ with the University of Boston, USA. What’s more, Edinburgh University Press published the book ‘Recovering Scotland’s Slavery Past: The Caribbean Connection’ detailing the region’s unsavoury history in relation to African people. It joins a flurry of relatively recent publications on the topic[68] including:

- Douglas Hamilton’s Scotland, the Caribbean and the Atlantic World, 1750-1820 (2005)

- Iain Whyte’s Scotland and the Abolition of Slavery, 1756-1838 (2006)

- Stephen Mullen’s It Wisnae Us: The Truth About Glasgow and Slavery (2009)

- Iain Whyte’s Send Back the Money! The Free Church of Scotland and American Slavery (2012)

- Michael Morris’s Scotland and the Caribbean, c. 1740-1833 (2015)

- Alasdair Pettinger’s Frederick Douglass and Scotland, 1846: Living an Antislavery Life (2019)

Books looking at other areas of Afro-Scots history mentioned in this article include:

- Ishamakusa Barashango’s Afrikan People and European Holidays, Vol.1/2: A Mental Genocide (1979/1983)

- Lorraine Evans’ Kingdom of the Ark: That Startling Story of How the Ancient British Race is Descended from the Pharaohs (2000)

- Ralph Ellis’ Scota, Egyptian Queen of the Scots (2006)

- Russell Lyon’s The Quest for the Original Horse Whisperers (2003)

- Jacqueline Jenkinson’s Black 1919: Riots, Racism and Resistance in Imperial Britain (2009)

Journalist Tọ̀míwá Fọ́lọ́runsọ́

More creative ways to educate on Afro-Scots history is a related graphic novel [69] written by Warren Pleece to ‘capture the stakes of Africans fighting to regain their human rights, whilst making that drama relevant to today's teenagers’. The work called Freedom Bound[70] was commissioned by Glasgow University history professor Simon Newman for the ‘Runaway Slaves’ project (similar to Asina and the Important Men[71] by Trevor R. Getz.) Chronicling the story of 3 runaway slaves, Freedom Bound will be disseminated in Scottish secondary schools. All these initiatives will mean that wider learning of Afro-Scots history can go beyond the UK Black History Month (BHM) every October and be a more permanent fixture in the Scottish consciousness. This is particularly important for Edinburgh-born Nigerian journalist Tọ̀míwá Fọ́lọ́runsọ́ who takes issue with some organisations disingenuously using BHM for exploitative commercialisation.[72] ‘Companies, businesses and brands use this month as an opportunity to cash in, with the hope that, by hosting a panel discussion with a combination of prominent black Brits, it will tick their diversity box and result in a consumer loyalty that they will not have to consider for another twelve months. Perhaps instead they should look internally and understand the complicity in the structures they uphold.’ Tọ̀míwá would also like to see a nuanced change in BHM’s focus where we are not just acknowledging Scottish racism in history as well as spotlighting historical Black accomplishments and contributions, but also celebrating contemporary Black figures fighting against white supremacy and systemic racism. I’d certainly second that!

Fredrick Douglass statue vs plaque
Corrective Action = Idolatry/Icongraphy: One method of making way to celebrate notable Black Scots or indeed anyone fighting for social justice is to use their names to replace the street/place names of racist human traffickers that currently adorn many roads throughout Scotland.[73] This was the thinking of Green Party Glasgow councillor Nina Baker, who in 2017 suggested the ‘symbolic renaming of selected streets’ should fall on UK Anti-Slavery Day. She noted that Spain had replaced street names of key people in Franco’s fascist regime, and that street names in France have signs underneath giving background of the people they are named for. Graham Campbell leans more towards the latter, keeping the names but with plaques close beside explaining the atrocities they were party to. Along the same vein, Geoff Palmer said ‘removing the evidence [does] not remove the crime’. In the wake of these suggestions, in 2019 Glasgow Council commissioned a study on the city’s mass human trafficking past.[74] The investigation to be conducted by Glasgow University historian Stephen Mullen is a UK first by a local authority. Its finding will then be used in a public consultation to decide on how to tackle the iconography of past enslavers i.e. torturers, rapists, murderers who helped the city to flourish. The move was again welcomed by Geoff Palmer who commented, ‘we cannot change the past, but we can change the consequences of the past and we can change the future’. One possible change might be to remove statues also idolising many of those human rights violators. This was the case with Robert Milligan’s statue removed from West India Quay in London this year.[75] That such Scotland-based effigies suffer a similar fate is the hope of the ‘Topple the Racists’ project [76] (run by the Stop Trump Coalition), or at the very least have plaques detailing the depraved actions of the subject, like Edinburgh council with Henry Dundas.[77] Then more attention and focus can be given to more reputable historic figures like Fredrick Douglass who in 2018 was included in Historic Environment Scotland’s Commemorative Plaque Scheme[78] (…but could do with his own statue being commissioned too).

Empowering Black Communities

ECA director Lisa Williams

Whilst these steps will certainly help to shine light on Scotland’s murky racist past and thus help us better deal with its legacy today, there are worries that certain people have now jumped on the ‘woke’ bandwagon counterproductively. As it is now ‘popular’ for whites to speak up on these issues of racial oppression and injustices, many then SPEAK OVER Black people, the very ones who have been ‘brutalized, murdered and fighting against it for centuries’[79] contends ‘Fringe of Colour’ founder Jessica Brough. Her point is salient as, rather than letting Black voices fade into the background, whites should acknowledge and lift them up vs hijack the debate/struggle. (Think of the cancelled June 2020 ‘Black Lives Matter’ march in Leeds organised by 2 white students who didn’t actually contact BLM or a single Black person beforehand = ‘protest tourists’) This egregious seizure of the narrative occurs regularly and serves to further propagate racial bias & systemic discrimination rather than counter it. One such established voice is Edinburgh Caribbean Association (ECA) director Lisa William from Grenada who is eagerly taking the conversation forward in her own way by running the well-received Black History Walking Tour of Edinburgh exploring the city’s slavery links and racist legacy.[80]

'1745' by sisters Moyọ̀ and Moráyọ̀ Àkàndé

Other exemplary projects along these lines have been the short film ‘1745’ by Glasgow-born Nigerian actresses & sisters Moyọ̀ and Moráyọ̀ Àkàndé.[81] The film title is the same year Scotland tried to withdraw from the 1707 Act of Union with England whilst its economy was flourishing on the backs of African misery. Released in 2018, the BAFTA Scotland nominated film tells the story of two young African kidnap victims escaping from their human trafficker’s stately home into the Scottish wilderness. Whilst some African captives suffering from Stockholm Syndrome would stay with their captors ‘under fear of bogus threats of how bad they’d have it if they returned to Africa’[82], these sisters defiantly gathered the courage and strength to flee, then must stay united to survive and remain free [83], (incidentally dressed in tartan similar to that forcibly worn by African captives on Bunce Island). The plot was inspired by Moráyọ̀ Àkàndé reading advertisements in archive Scottish newspapers for runaway African hostages (similar subject matter to the ‘Freedom Bound’ graphic novel). The resulting lauded short premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival and was later shown during BHM at a Glasgow City Chambers civic reception. ‘1745’ is now being developed into a full-length feature film.

Professor Jeanette Davidson

Another greatly anticipated project is one by Glasgow-born Nigerian-Scottish Professor of African and African American Studies, Jeanette Davidson.[84] Based at the University of Oklahoma in the USA, she is currently writing a book called 'Black Lives in Scotland: Telling Our Stories'.[85] It will be about the recent histories of ‘Black people living in Scotland today and the racism they’ve had to overcome in their lives’, including her own. She hopes to debunk the assumption that racist attitudes in Scotland are minimal because little has been exposed on the topic, highlighting that this is not due to absence of racial bigotry, but silencing by the wider white population who ‘don’t want to know’ or ‘want others to know’. Due to be published by Edinburgh University Press, she says the book will be a ‘stepping-off point to what’s happened in history and what’s happening now. Some things have changed drastically, and some things really haven’t changed at all. How do people cope with this sort of hateful treatment? How do they interact with schools, hospitals, churches, communities through it all? Perhaps most importantly, how do they identify themselves and how do outsiders identify them? Hopefully telling their stories can bring readers new understandings and change some of the more hurtful identifications.’

Yes, Scotland has a long way to go before resolving its issues with racism in its history be it ancient, recent or in between, and only with a concerted effort will progress be made.

~ by Abiọ́dún Ọlátòkunbọ̀ Abdul

instagram.com/abiodunoa

twitter.com/Abiodun_Abdul01

facebook.com/abiodun.a.o.abdul

facebook.com/ScottishRaceRelations

[1] The 51st State Location - Cholmondeley Castle, Malpas, Cheshire, SY14 8AH

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8y3uf5chuT0

[2] Enslaved: The Lost History of the Transatlantic Slave Trade (21st August 2020)

https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2020-08-21/enslaved-samuel-l-jackson-documentary/

[3] Akala 21 min Black History Lecture on Ancient Egypt at Oxford

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4Sf6_-HGqg

Combs from Kemet: further thoughts on ancient Egyptian hair combs

http://kemetexpert.com/combs-from-kemet-further-thoughts-on-ancient-egyptian-hair-combs/

[4] The Story of Princess Scotia – Princess Meritaten: The African Roots Of Ireland (7^th June 2013)

https://www.africaresource.com/rasta/sesostris-the-great-the-egyptian-hercules/the-story-of-princess-scota-princess-meritaten-african-roots-of-ireland/comment-page-1/

[5] The Piob Mhor, or the Great Highland Bagpipes

https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofScotland/The-Piob-Mhor-or-the-Great-Highland-Bagpipes/

[6] The pharaoh's daughter who was the mother of all Scots (13th Sept 2006)

https://www.scotsman.com/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/pharaohs-daughter-who-was-mother-all-scots-2507668

[7] Africa before Transatlantic Enslavement (9^th Oct 2019)

https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/article/section/history-of-slavery/africa-before-transatlantic-enslavement/

Hume's Revised Racism, Journal of the History of Ideas, 1992 https://www.jstor.org/stable/2709889?seq=1

[8] Clear Language on Slavery https://www.instagram.com/absurdistwords

[9] Black Moors in Scotland https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pathways/blackhistory/early_times/moors.htm

[10] Slavery in Britain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_Britain#Enslaved_Africans

[11] 200 Black Soldiers escort William of Orange into Exeter

http://www.tellingourstoriesexeter.org.uk/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=49&cntnt01origid=57&cntnt01returnid=80

[12] Cops guard William of Orange statue in Glasgow as patrols stepped up to protect monuments linked to slave trade (11^th June 2020)

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/cops-guard-william-orange-statue-22177319

[13] Should we tear down Scotland's statues to British Empire builders and slavers? (9th Sept 2017)

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/15525309.should-we-tear-down-scotlands-statues-to-british-empire-builders-and-slavers/

[14] Black in Scotland: Guest Professor Sheds Light on an Obscured History (28 Sept 2018)

https://liberalarts.temple.edu/news/black-scotland-guest-professor-sheds-light-obscured-history

When Scotland Hosted An Abolitionist After Profiting From Slavery (25 Nov 2018)

https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/scotland-hosted-abolitionist-profiting-slavery-181124233607376.html

https://www.entornointeligente.com/when-scotland-hosted-an-abolitionist-after-profiting-from-slavery/

[15] Scotland and Slavery (19 Aug 2015) https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/article/section/history-of-slavery/scotland-and-slavery/

[16] Andrew Buchanan of Drumpellier, wiki page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Buchanan_of_Drumpellier

[17] Archibald Ingram, wiki page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archibald_Ingram

[18] Dani Garavelli: Facing up to slavery in second city of empire (27 Sept 2017)

https://www.scotsman.com/news/dani-garavelli-facing-slavery-second-city-empire-1439061

Early Glasgow Sugar Plantations in the Caribbean, Scottish Archaeological Journal, 2009 https://www.jstor.org/stable/27917631

[19] Scotland's Black History https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/NfFNrJjvlhC4WXL783LHcY/scotlands-black-history

1707 Scotland and the Jamaican Slave Trade #Lestweforget (3^rd Oct 2019) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VaUMS5wPmg

[20] Colin Dunlop, of Carmyle, Provost of Glasgow

https://www.clanmacfarlanegenealogy.info/genealogy/TNGWebsite/getperson.php?personID=I35193&tree=CC

Every Glasgow street name linked directly to slavery (11^th Sept 2020)

https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/history/glasgow-history-slavery-street-names-18369259

[21] "What's wrong with our statues?" (23^rd July 2020)

https://www.theantiracisteducator.com/post/what-s-wrong-with-our-statues?postId=5f1816dbbee7d80017cc8363

[22] Should Glasgow's 'slavery streets' be renamed? (20^th Feb 2017)

https://www.scotsman.com/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/should-glasgows-slavery-streets-be-renamed-603545

The Cunninghame Mansion (14^th Aug 2018)

https://glasgowmuseumsslavery.co.uk/2018/08/14/the-cunninghame-mansion/

[23] Scotland’s Glasgow University received millions from slavery, now it plans to pay reparations (23^rd Sept 2018)

https://www.forreparations.org/2018/09/23/scotlands-glasgow-university-received-millions-from-slavery-now-it-plans-to-pay-reparations/

Glasgow University to pay £20m in slave trade reparations (23 Aug 2019)

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/aug/23/glasgow-university-slave-trade-reparations

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/sep/18/universities-glasgow-slavery-pasts-legacy

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/lbs/person/view/-719617813 / https://universitystory.gla.ac.uk/biography/?id=WH0240&type=P

[24] Scotland and Slavery (19 Aug 2015) https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/article/section/history-of-slavery/scotland-and-slavery/

[25] Black in Scotland: Guest Professor Sheds Light on an Obscured History (28 Sept 2018)

https://liberalarts.temple.edu/news/black-scotland-guest-professor-sheds-light-obscured-history

[26] How the Second City of the Empire was built on the backs of slaves: Civic leaders reveal investigation (11 Nov 2019)

https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/how-the-secondcity-of-the-empire-was-built-on-the-backs-of-slaves-civic-leaders-reveal-investigation/

Devine: 'Scotland apologising for slavery could cause problems' (21 July 2019)

https://www.thenational.scot/news/17784165.devine-39-scotland-apologising-slavery-cause-problems-39/

[27] Cops guard William of Orange statue in Glasgow as patrols stepped up to protect monuments linked to slave trade (11^th June 2020)

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/cops-guard-william-orange-statue-22177319

[28] Should we tear down Scotland's statues to British Empire builders and slavers? (9th Sept 2017)

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/15525309.should-we-tear-down-scotlands-statues-to-british-empire-builders-and-slavers/

John Moore (British Army officer) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Moore_(British_Army_officer)

[29] Scotland and Slavery (19 Aug 2015) https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/article/section/history-of-slavery/scotland-and-slavery/

[30] How the Second City of the Empire was built on the backs of slaves: Civic leaders reveal investigation (11 Nov 2019)

https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/how-the-secondcity-of-the-empire-was-built-on-the-backs-of-slaves-civic-leaders-reveal-investigation/

[31] When Scotland Hosted An Abolitionist After Profiting From Slavery (25 Nov 2018)

https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/scotland-hosted-abolitionist-profiting-slavery-181124233607376.html

https://www.entornointeligente.com/when-scotland-hosted-an-abolitionist-after-profiting-from-slavery/

Louise Welsh meets Jamaica's Poet Laureate Lorna Goodison (7th April 2019)

https://www.thenational.scot/news/17555287.louise-welsh-meets-jamaicas-poet-laureate-lorna-goodison/

Scotland and Slavery (19 Aug 2015) https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/article/section/history-of-slavery/scotland-and-slavery/

[32] Scotland and Slavery (19 Aug 2015) https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/article/section/history-of-slavery/scotland-and-slavery/

Abram Lyle, wiki page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abram_Lyle

[33] Scotland and Slavery (19 Aug 2015) https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/article/section/history-of-slavery/scotland-and-slavery/

[34] Scotland and Slavery (19 Aug 2015) https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/article/section/history-of-slavery/scotland-and-slavery/

[35] Should we tear down Scotland's statues to British Empire builders and slavers? (9th Sept 2017)

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/15525309.should-we-tear-down-scotlands-statues-to-british-empire-builders-and-slavers/

Scotland's Secret Slavery (21^st Feb 2019) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iiqo5FZTzNw

New signs appear around Edinburgh's Melville Monument outlining Henry Dundas' involvement in the slave trade (13 July 2020)

https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/politics/new-signs-appear-around-edinburghs-melville-monument-outlining-henry-dundas-involvement-slave-trade-2912433

[36] Pride and prejudice: Scotland's complicated black history (8 Oct 2013)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-24347632

[37] Should we tear down Scotland's statues to British Empire builders and slavers? (9th Sept 2017)

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/15525309.should-we-tear-down-scotlands-statues-to-british-empire-builders-and-slavers/

[38] Scotland and Slavery (19 Aug 2015) https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/article/section/history-of-slavery/scotland-and-slavery/

[39] Should Glasgow's 'slavery streets' be renamed? (20^th Feb 2017)

https://www.scotsman.com/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/should-glasgows-slavery-streets-be-renamed-603545

Every Glasgow street name linked directly to slavery (11^th Sept 2020)

https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/history/glasgow-history-slavery-street-names-18369259

Scotland and Slavery (19 Aug 2015) https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/article/section/history-of-slavery/scotland-and-slavery/

[40] The University of Glasgow’s move to abolish its historical connections to the slave trade (14 Oct 2018)

https://studentnewspaper.org/the-university-of-glasgows-move-to-abolish-its-historical-connections-to-the-slave-trade/

[41] Dani Garavelli: Facing up to slavery in second city of empire (27 Sept 2017)

https://www.scotsman.com/news/dani-garavelli-facing-slavery-second-city-empire-1439061

Scots & Caribbean Slavery: Ae Fond Kiss, And Then We Sever! (2009)

https://glasgowwestindies.wordpress.com/the-scottish-involvement-with-caribbean-slavery/

[42] Scotland's racist role: How minstrel shows spread stereotypes through country's theatres (7^th Oct 2017)

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/big-read-how-minstrel-shows-11300746

The Black Minstrelsy in Scotland - Scottish Local History Forum

https://www.slhf.org/sites/default/files/documents/TheBlackMinstrelsyScotland.pdf

[43] When Scotland Hosted an Abolitionist After Profiting from Slavery (25 Nov 2018)

https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/scotland-hosted-abolitionist-profiting-slavery-181124233607376.html

https://www.entornointeligente.com/when-scotland-hosted-an-abolitionist-after-profiting-from-slavery/

[44] Scotland's racist role: How minstrel shows spread stereotypes through country's theatres (7^th Oct 2017)

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/big-read-how-minstrel-shows-11300746

[45] Aamer Anwar: How racism and police brutality shaped my life (7th June 2020)

www.thenational.scot/news/18501332.aamer-anwar

[46] Hero Shinwell 'incited racist Clydeside mob' (3^rd Oct 2009)

https://www.scotsman.com/news/hero-shinwell-incited-racist-clydeside-mob-2443339

Racists, Reds and the Revolt on the Clyde, 1919 (23^rd Jan 2019)

https://libcom.org/history/racists-reds-revolt-clyde-1919

[47] Hero Shinwell 'incited racist Clydeside mob' (3^rd Oct 2009)

https://www.scotsman.com/news/hero-shinwell-incited-racist-clydeside-mob-2443339

Dark history of the Red Clydeside race riot (3^rd Jan 2019)

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/17376823.dark-history-red-clydeside-race-riot/

https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/17377938.glasgow-race-riots-marked-100-years-lessons-learned/

https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/history/one-of-glasgows-ugliest-days-15683417

https://www.thenational.scot/news/17376881.glasgow-1919---race-riot-scotland-rather-forget/

[48] Scotland is not this anti-racist utopia that we pretend it is (28^th Oct 2019)

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/17997473.scotland-not-anti-racist-utopia-pretend/

1919 race riots in Britain—a legacy of empire (15 Oct 2019)

https://socialistworker.co.uk/art/49076/1919+race+riots+in+Britain+a+legacy+of+empire

[49] Being Black in Scotland During World War II (5^th June 2019)

https://www.necn.com/news/national-international/being-black-in-scotland-during-world-war-ii-ashley-bryan_necn/2101007/

[50] Phillips, Mike & Phillips, Trevor: Windrush: The Irresistible Rise of Multi-Racial Britain (1998) HarperCollins Publishers, London

[51] Scotland and the Caribbean: our shared heritage expressed through the arts (3^rd December 2017)

https://mumblewords.net/2017/11/03/scotland-and-the-caribbean-our-shared-heritage-expressed-through-the-arts/

[52] Aamer Anwar: How racism and police brutality shaped my life (7th June 2020)

www.thenational.scot/news/18501332.aamer-anwar

[53] Lessons from the Glasgow Race Riots: 1919-2019 (23^rd Jan 2019)

https://www.crer.scot/post/2019/01/22/lessons-from-the-glasgow-race-riots-1919-2019

[54] Black in Scotland: Guest Professor Sheds Light on an Obscured History (28 Sept 2018)

https://liberalarts.temple.edu/news/black-scotland-guest-professor-sheds-light-obscured-history

The University of Glasgow’s move to abolish its historical connections to the slave trade (14 Oct 2018)

https://studentnewspaper.org/the-university-of-glasgows-move-to-abolish-its-historical-connections-to-the-slave-trade/

[55] University of Glasgow’s £20m apology for slavery is branded self-serving (24 Aug 2019)

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/university-of-glasgows-20m-apology-for-slavery-is-branded-self-serving-gd50nwt6k

Academic: University wrong to make Scots pay for slave crimes (23rd August 2019)

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/17856344.academic-university-wrong-make-scots-pay-slave-crimes/

[56] Devine: 'Scotland apologising for slavery could cause problems' (21 July 2019)

https://www.thenational.scot/news/17784165.devine-39-scotland-apologising-slavery-cause-problems-39/

[57] Dani Garavelli: Facing up to slavery in second city of empire (27^th Sept 2017)

https://www.scotsman.com/news/dani-garavelli-facing-slavery-second-city-empire-1439061

[58] Scotland’s Slavery Past Exposed In New Programme (29^th October 2018)

https://www.scottishfield.co.uk/culture/film-tv/scotlands-slavery-past-exposed-in-new-programme/

[59] Scotland's Black History. Episode 7, It Wisnae Us (9^th October 2016)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00n3mh8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLtXi4lOoGo

[60] Dani Garavelli: Facing up to slavery in second city of empire (27^th Sept 2017)

https://www.scotsman.com/news/dani-garavelli-facing-slavery-second-city-empire-1439061

[61] Slavery museum to be set up in Glasgow (4 Nov 2018)

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/17200039.slavery-museum-to-be-set-up-in-glasgow/

‘Let us be judged by our deeds’: MSPs back creation of Scottish racism museum following emotional debate (10^th June 2020)

https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/politics/scottish-politics/1365956/let-us-be-judged-by-our-deeds-msps-back-creation-of-scottish-racism-museum-following-emotional-debate

[62] Reform the national curriculum to include all African Scottish history (5^th August 2020)

http://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/afroscotshistorycurriculum

[63] John Edmonstone – The Man Who Taught Darwin

https://www.history.co.uk/shows/not-what-you-thought-you-knew/articles/john-edmonstone-%E2%80%93-the-man-who-taught-darwin

The amazing tale of John Edmonstone: the freed slave who taught Charles Darwin in Edinburgh (14^th Oct 2019)

https://www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/edinburgh-news/amazing-tale-john-edmonstone-freed-17053960

[64] Black in Scotland: Guest Professor Sheds Light on an Obscured History (28 Sept 2018)

https://liberalarts.temple.edu/news/black-scotland-guest-professor-sheds-light-obscured-history

[65] The University of Glasgow’s move to abolish its historical connections to the slave trade (14 Oct 2018)

https://studentnewspaper.org/the-university-of-glasgows-move-to-abolish-its-historical-connections-to-the-slave-trade/

[66] Dani Garavelli: Facing up to slavery in second city of empire (27^th Sept 2017)

https://www.scotsman.com/news/dani-garavelli-facing-slavery-second-city-empire-1439061

[67] The University of Glasgow’s move to abolish its historical connections to the slave trade (14 Oct 2018)

https://studentnewspaper.org/the-university-of-glasgows-move-to-abolish-its-historical-connections-to-the-slave-trade/

[68] Scotland, Slavery and Abolitionism: A Timeline of Public Engagement

https://www.bulldozia.com/douglass-in-scotland/scotland-slavery-and-abolitionism-a-timeline-of-public-engagement/

[69] Dani Garavelli: Facing up to slavery in second city of empire (27 Sept 2017)

https://www.scotsman.com/news/dani-garavelli-facing-slavery-second-city-empire-1439061

[70] Freedom Bound: Escaping Slavery in Scotland

https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Freedom-Bound-by-Warren-Pleece-author/9781910775134

[71] Tackling Slavery in the Classroom with a Graphic Novel and an App (3^rd June 2016)

https://uk.pcmag.com/software/81961/tackling-slavery-in-the-classroom-with-a-graphic-novel-and-an-app

Asina and the Important Men

https://global.oup.com/academic/product/abina-and-the-important-men-9780190238742?q=abina&lang=en&cc=us

[72] Scotland is not this anti-racist utopia that we pretend it is (28^th Oct 2019)

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/17997473.scotland-not-anti-racist-utopia-pretend/

[73] Should Glasgow's 'slavery streets' be renamed? (20^th Feb 2017)

https://www.scotsman.com/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/should-glasgows-slavery-streets-be-renamed-603545

[74] Sign of the times: Glasgow's slavery profits in the spotlight (11 Nov 2019)

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/11/sign-times-glasgow-slavery-profits-spotlight-191111184431789.html

How the Second City of the Empire was built on the backs of slaves: Civic leaders reveal investigation (11 Nov 2019)

https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/how-the-secondcity-of-the-empire-was-built-on-the-backs-of-slaves-civic-leaders-reveal-investigation/

[75] Cops guard William of Orange statue in Glasgow as patrols stepped up to protect monuments linked to slave trade (11^th June 2020)

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/cops-guard-william-orange-statue-22177319

[76] Scottish statues Black Lives Matter protesters want torn down with 60 linked to slave trade across UK listed (10^th Jun 2020)

https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/5688365/scottish-statues-black-lives-matter-protesters-slave-trade-uk/

https://www.toppletheracists.org/

[77] Edinburgh's Dundas statue to be dedicated to slavery victims (11^th June 2020)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-52997858

[78] Anti-slavery freedom fighter Frederick Douglass to be commemorated in Edinburgh (11 October 2018)

https://sourcenews.scot/anti-slavery-freedom-fighter-frederick-douglass-to-be-commemorated-in-edinburgh/

Commemorative plaque recognises African American author and anti-slavery activist’s links to Scotland (11 October 2018)

https://www.historicenvironment.scot/about-us/news/commemorative-plaque-recognises-african-american-author-and-anti-slavery-activist-s-links-to-scotland/

https://www.entornointeligente.com/when-scotland-hosted-an-abolitionist-after-profiting-from-slavery/

[79] @edincarbi Black History Walking Tours, Jessica Brough (13th Aug 2020)

https://twitter.com/Jessica_Brough/status/1294020273306570752 / https://www.ywcascotland.org/30-under-30-jessica-brough/

[80] Sign of the times: Glasgow's slavery profits in the spotlight (11 Nov 2019)

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/11/sign-times-glasgow-slavery-profits-spotlight-191111184431789.html

Scotland and the Caribbean: our shared heritage expressed through the arts (3^rd December 2017)

https://mumblewords.net/2017/11/03/scotland-and-the-caribbean-our-shared-heritage-expressed-through-the-arts/

[81] Dani Garavelli: Facing up to slavery in second city of empire (27 Sept 2017)

https://www.scotsman.com/news/dani-garavelli-facing-slavery-second-city-empire-1439061

[82] Black in Scotland: Guest Professor Sheds Light on an Obscured History (28 Sept 2018)

https://liberalarts.temple.edu/news/black-scotland-guest-professor-sheds-light-obscured-history

[83] 1745 BAFTA Scotland nominated film

https://www.1745film.com/synopsis

[84] Professor Jeanette Davidson, University of Oklahoma

https://www.ou.edu/cas/cls/faculty/dr-jeanette-davidson

[85] Black in Scotland: Guest Professor Sheds Light on an Obscured History (28 Sept 2018)

https://liberalarts.temple.edu/news/black-scotland-guest-professor-sheds-light-obscured-history

The Scottish Racism Project

Scottish Racism in Employment

[1] Eunice Olumide on modelling, racism and the limits of feminism (23rd March 2019)

[7] Everyday racism and discrimination in Scotland's workplaces (20th Feb 2019)

[8] African jobseekers changing their names to overcome 'racist' recruiters, author claims in new book (27th April 2020)

[10] African jobseekers changing their names to overcome 'racist' recruiters, author claims in new book (27th April 2020)

[11] Everyday racism and discrimination in Scotland's workplaces (20th Feb 2019)

[13] African jobseekers changing their names to overcome 'racist' recruiters, author claims in new book (27th April 2020)

[14] Eunice Olumide on modelling, racism and the limits of feminism (23rd March 2019)

[16] African jobseekers changing their names to overcome 'racist' recruiters, author claims in new book (27th April 2020)

[20] Black Women's Equal Pay Day Hits Reality in the UK (2nd Aug 2017)

[22] What are the employment experiences of Black and minority ethnic women in Scotland? (7 Mar 2019)

[25] Scottish supermodel Eunice Olumide opens up about racism (3rd Nov 2017)

[26] Eunice Olumide on modelling, racism and the limits of feminism (23rd March 2019)

[27] Scottish Hazards Discussion Paper Workplace Racism; a health and safety issue (October 2018)

[28] Everyday racism and discrimination in Scotland's workplaces (20th Feb 2019)

[37] Housing chief wins £26,000 damages over racism claims (30th April 2008)

[40] Scottish Hazards Discussion Paper Workplace Racism; a health and safety issue (October 2018)

[41] DWP must pay woman £400,000 after she wins claim for race and age discrimination (25th Feb 2020)

[43] Blog: Bringing down barriers (4th June 2020)

[45] African jobseekers changing their names to overcome 'racist' recruiters, author claims in new book (27th April 2020)

[47] Scottish supermodel Eunice Olumide opens up about racism (3rd Nov 2017)

[50] Black Women's Equal Pay Day Hits Reality in the UK (2nd Aug 2017)

[51] Over 1,000 Publishing Workers Strike to Protest Industry Racism (8th June 2020)

[52] What are the employment experiences of Black and minority ethnic women in Scotland? (7 Mar 2019)

[54] What are the employment experiences of Black and minority ethnic women in Scotland? (7 Mar 2019)

[55] Scottish Hazards Discussion Paper Workplace Racism; a health and safety issue (October 2018)

[57] Dealing with racial discrimination

[58] Housing chief wins £26,000 damages over racism claims (30th April 2008)

[59] Zaffir Hakim wins race discrimination case against STUC (16th Aug 2018)

[62] DWP must pay woman £400,000 after she wins claim for race and age discrimination (25th Feb 2020)

[63] Blog: Bringing down barriers (4th June 2020)

[65] Tzari, by Tzaritsa Asante

Scottish Racism towards Asylum Seekers & Refugees

[5] UK press is the most aggressive in reporting on Europe’s ‘migrant’ crisis (14th March 2016)

[7] Underreporting on the crisis in Yemen, the complicity of the British government, and what we can do to help (10th July 2020)

Britain is behind the slaughter in Yemen. Here's how you could help end it (6th Sept 2020)

[10] Scotland Is Not as Woke as It Thinks It Is (31 July 2018)

[14] Refugee left fighting for his life after ‘racist’ attack (7 May 2018)

Teenager pleads guilty to racially aggravated attempted murder of Syrian refugee (20th July 2018)

[15] British hypocrisy is to blame for the deadly plight of migrants (24th Aug 2020)

[18] Revealed: the squalor inside ex-MoD camps being used to house refugees (11th Oct 2020)

Leaky ceilings and racist abuse: asylum housing in Scotland (1st Sept 2014)

[21] Leaky ceilings and racist abuse: asylum housing in Scotland (1st Sept 2014)

[22] The truth about sexual abuse at Yarl's Wood detention centre (29th Oct 2013)

[23] Scotland Is Not as Woke as It Thinks It Is (31 July 2018)

[25] Syrian man dies in Glasgow amid fears over refugees' mental health (11th May 2020)

[26] Leaky ceilings and racist abuse: asylum housing in Scotland (1st Sept 2014)

[27] Asylum seeker found dead next to 'starving baby' after losing her job (25th Aug 2020)

David Linden makes plea for tragic Mercy Baguma's son to be allowed to stay in the UK (9th Sept 2020)

[28] Glasgow 'blindsided' as refugees face mass evictions (30th July 2018)

[29] Glasgow asylum seekers moved into hotels where distancing is 'impossible' (22nd April 2020)

[30] Syrian man dies in Glasgow amid fears over refugees' mental health (11th May 2020)

[31] Scottish police name Sudanese man shot dead during knife attack (27th June 2020)

Abdul Rahman Safi sews mouth shut as part of protest against Home Office (21st Sept 2020)

Stand Up To Racism Glasgow: Update on asylum seeker hunger strike Glasgow (22nd Sept 2020)

Asylum seeker left in legal limbo refuses to end hunger strike (23rd Sept 2020)

[33] Chilean dad in Glasgow told by Home Office to go back to... Nigeria (12th March 2020)

[38] “The hateful intent of the two short words scratched on my car was clear” (29 Dec 2019)

Prominent refugees and their contribution to the UK – in pictures (21st May 2019)

[44] Scotland refugee success stories (19th Oct 2013)

Refugees’ contribution to life in Scotland celebrated (11 June 2019)

[48] Teenager pleads guilty to racially aggravated attempted murder of Syrian refugee (20th July 2018)

[49] Leaky ceilings and racist abuse: asylum housing in Scotland (1st Sept 2014)

[52] Glasgow student Lord Apetsi granted reprieve from deportation (29th April 2016)

[55] Glasgow refugees celebrate graduation from pioneering training scheme (12th Aug 2019)

[56] Fairer Scotland, World Refugee Day (June 20, 2020)

[58] Portraits of the asylum seekers known as the new Scots (25th Oct 2020)

[60] Glasgow Refugee, Asylum and Migration Network

[61] The Kindness of Enemies by Leila Aboulela, book review: A spiritual journey to Dagestan (6th Aug 2015)

Scottish Racism in History

[3] Akala 21 min Black History Lecture on Ancient Egypt at Oxford

Combs from Kemet: further thoughts on ancient Egyptian hair combs

[4] The Story of Princess Scotia – Princess Meritaten: The African Roots Of Ireland (7th June 2013)

[5] The Piob Mhor, or the Great Highland Bagpipes

[6] The pharaoh's daughter who was the mother of all Scots (13th Sept 2006)

[11] 200 Black Soldiers escort William of Orange into Exeter

[14] Black in Scotland: Guest Professor Sheds Light on an Obscured History (28 Sept 2018)

[15] Scotland and Slavery (19 Aug 2015) https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/article/section/history-of-slavery/scotland-and-slavery/

[16] Andrew Buchanan of Drumpellier, wiki page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Buchanan_of_Drumpellier

[1] Eunice Olumide on modelling, racism and the limits of feminism (23^rd March 2019)

[7] Everyday racism and discrimination in Scotland's workplaces (20^th Feb 2019)

[8] African jobseekers changing their names to overcome 'racist' recruiters, author claims in new book (27^th April 2020)

[10] African jobseekers changing their names to overcome 'racist' recruiters, author claims in new book (27^th April 2020)

[11] Everyday racism and discrimination in Scotland's workplaces (20^th Feb 2019)

[13] African jobseekers changing their names to overcome 'racist' recruiters, author claims in new book (27^th April 2020)

[14] Eunice Olumide on modelling, racism and the limits of feminism (23^rd March 2019)

[16] African jobseekers changing their names to overcome 'racist' recruiters, author claims in new book (27^th April 2020)

[20] Black Women's Equal Pay Day Hits Reality in the UK (2^nd Aug 2017)

[25] Scottish supermodel Eunice Olumide opens up about racism (3^rd Nov 2017)

[26] Eunice Olumide on modelling, racism and the limits of feminism (23^rd March 2019)

[28] Everyday racism and discrimination in Scotland's workplaces (20^th Feb 2019)

[37] Housing chief wins £26,000 damages over racism claims (30^th April 2008)

[41] DWP must pay woman £400,000 after she wins claim for race and age discrimination (25^th Feb 2020)

[43] Blog: Bringing down barriers (4^th June 2020)

[45] African jobseekers changing their names to overcome 'racist' recruiters, author claims in new book (27^th April 2020)

[47] Scottish supermodel Eunice Olumide opens up about racism (3^rd Nov 2017)

[50] Black Women's Equal Pay Day Hits Reality in the UK (2^nd Aug 2017)

[58] Housing chief wins £26,000 damages over racism claims (30^th April 2008)

[59] Zaffir Hakim wins race discrimination case against STUC (16^th Aug 2018)

[62] DWP must pay woman £400,000 after she wins claim for race and age discrimination (25^th Feb 2020)

[63] Blog: Bringing down barriers (4^th June 2020)

[5] UK press is the most aggressive in reporting on Europe’s ‘migrant’ crisis (14^th March 2016)

[7] Underreporting on the crisis in Yemen, the complicity of the British government, and what we can do to help (10^th July 2020)

Britain is behind the slaughter in Yemen. Here's how you could help end it (6^th Sept 2020)

Teenager pleads guilty to racially aggravated attempted murder of Syrian refugee (20^th July 2018)

[15] British hypocrisy is to blame for the deadly plight of migrants (24^th Aug 2020)

[18] Revealed: the squalor inside ex-MoD camps being used to house refugees (11^th Oct 2020)

Leaky ceilings and racist abuse: asylum housing in Scotland (1^st Sept 2014)

[21] Leaky ceilings and racist abuse: asylum housing in Scotland (1^st Sept 2014)

[22] The truth about sexual abuse at Yarl's Wood detention centre (29^th Oct 2013)

[25] Syrian man dies in Glasgow amid fears over refugees' mental health (11^th May 2020)

[26] Leaky ceilings and racist abuse: asylum housing in Scotland (1^st Sept 2014)

[27] Asylum seeker found dead next to 'starving baby' after losing her job (25^th Aug 2020)

David Linden makes plea for tragic Mercy Baguma's son to be allowed to stay in the UK (9^th Sept 2020)

[29] Glasgow asylum seekers moved into hotels where distancing is 'impossible' (22^nd April 2020)

[30] Syrian man dies in Glasgow amid fears over refugees' mental health (11^th May 2020)

[31] Scottish police name Sudanese man shot dead during knife attack (27^th June 2020)

Abdul Rahman Safi sews mouth shut as part of protest against Home Office (21^st Sept 2020)

Stand Up To Racism Glasgow: Update on asylum seeker hunger strike Glasgow (22^nd Sept 2020)

Asylum seeker left in legal limbo refuses to end hunger strike (23^rd Sept 2020)

[33] Chilean dad in Glasgow told by Home Office to go back to... Nigeria (12^th March 2020)

Prominent refugees and their contribution to the UK – in pictures (21^st May 2019)

[44] Scotland refugee success stories (19^th Oct 2013)

[48] Teenager pleads guilty to racially aggravated attempted murder of Syrian refugee (20^th July 2018)

[49] Leaky ceilings and racist abuse: asylum housing in Scotland (1^st Sept 2014)

[52] Glasgow student Lord Apetsi granted reprieve from deportation (29^th April 2016)

[58] Portraits of the asylum seekers known as the new Scots (25^th Oct 2020)

[61] The Kindness of Enemies by Leila Aboulela, book review: A spiritual journey to Dagestan (6^th Aug 2015)

[4] The Story of Princess Scotia – Princess Meritaten: The African Roots Of Ireland (7^th June 2013)

[21] "What's wrong with our statues?" (23^rd July 2020)

[22] Should Glasgow's 'slavery streets' be renamed? (20^th Feb 2017)

The Cunninghame Mansion (14^th Aug 2018)

Scotland's Secret Slavery (21^st Feb 2019) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iiqo5FZTzNw

[39] Should Glasgow's 'slavery streets' be renamed? (20^th Feb 2017)

[46] Hero Shinwell 'incited racist Clydeside mob' (3^rd Oct 2009)

[47] Hero Shinwell 'incited racist Clydeside mob' (3^rd Oct 2009)

Dark history of the Red Clydeside race riot (3^rd Jan 2019)

[49] Being Black in Scotland During World War II (5^th June 2019)

[51] Scotland and the Caribbean: our shared heritage expressed through the arts (3^rd December 2017)

[53] Lessons from the Glasgow Race Riots: 1919-2019 (23^rd Jan 2019)

[58] Scotland’s Slavery Past Exposed In New Programme (29^th October 2018)

‘Let us be judged by our deeds’: MSPs back creation of Scottish racism museum following emotional debate (10^th June 2020)

[71] Tackling Slavery in the Classroom with a Graphic Novel and an App (3^rd June 2016)

[77] Edinburgh's Dundas statue to be dedicated to slavery victims (11^th June 2020)

Scotland and the Caribbean: our shared heritage expressed through the arts (3^rd December 2017)