Black Lives in Scotland: Looking to the Future

• In Event: Global Blackness: Memory and Mapping: Present Realities and Forging Futures

Abstract

Black people from Scotland are often met with surprise, by others, when they say where they live, or they are heard speaking with a Scottish accent. Even today, people often assume Scotland is a “White” country. Though the population of people of African descent, and other people of color, is still relatively small in Scotland, the numbers have increased in recent years. It is important that Scotland has begun to grapple with the idea of becoming a multiracial country.
This session will focus first on Scottish history illustrating the early presence of people of African descent in Scotland. This will include those who were stolen from Africa and enslaved in Scotland in the 18th century. Selected contemporary stories of Black people living in Scotland will then be presented, with analyses of how historical legacy has impacted their current social environment. Individuals who have grown up in Scotland as well as some who have moved there more recently from Africa and other countries of the diaspora, will be included. The presentation will conclude with a discussion of current anti-racist political and policy initiatives and activities, in Scotland, reparations that are being paid by universities, and research that is being undertaken, all with the goal of improved race relations in the future and possible positive impact on systemic racism.

Author

• Jeanette Davidson, University of Texas