Comedian Trevor Noah, bagpipes player

‘A beautiful place, rich in history with rolling highlands, perfectly preserved castles 100s of years old, men playing bagpipes in the streets…and no Black people.’ This was how South African comedian Trevor Noah described Scotland in his 2017 stand up special Afraid of the Dark.[1] He lamented on the reason for the lack of diversity, ‘the further north you go, the whiter things become: the people, Christmases, bears, everything changes.’ During a visit to Glasgow, he began playing a game with himself called ‘Stop the Black Person’ and invariably failed, his gaze instead landing either on statues or his own reflection. He then quipped that if you asked a Scottish person if they are racist, they would respond, ‘I don’t know, I never tried!’ Here’s the thing, had Trevor spent a bit more time in Scotland and continued his game, he would indeed have spotted the few dark-skinned people that make up the Black community way up in the British north. They were the focus of Ugandan filmmaker Stewart Kyasimire’s 2019 documentary Black and Scottish[2] where stories of identity, hair and confounding reactions to their broad Caledonian accents were shared. And among the tales of ‘living between two worlds’ and the ‘lack of relatable role models’ in the media, to Trevor Noah’s possible surprise, there were indeed various accounts of racism stretching back to early childhood memories at school.

Verbal/Online/Physical Abuse

Vlogger Stephanie Gyasi shared one such account whilst at secondary school in Glasgow. After she was teased by her white Scottish classmates for her Ghanaian accent, she purposely changed it to a board Glaswegian twang that would have you think her veins ran orange with Irn Bru. But that did not stop the slew of blatant racism coming her way with one white schoolmate calling Stephanie the n-word. Stephanie responded, ‘that’s racist, don’t call me the n-word!’ The girl retorted ‘If Black people can use the n-word, why can’t I?’, refusing to even acknowledge she had been racist. Another account came from actor Ncuti Gatwa whose Rwandan family initially settled in Fife. After moving to Dunfermline and starting at a new school there, he soon found out a group of boys had made a racist social media page about him with comments like ‘Get that [expletive] out the school!’

Edinburgh school student, Britney Ashinze

Other Black secondary students shared their more recent racist school experiences with the Herald on Sunday saying they were instructed to ‘get back to the jungle’ or indeed ‘go back to Africa’[3] by fellow students. With such vitriol in the air, it is therefore not surprising when things escalate to physical abuse, as was the case in late 2019 with 17-year-old Nigerian Britney Ashinze in Edinburgh.[4] After being called the n-word and told to ‘go hang herself’, a white mob of her schoolmates threw a drinks can at her before she was lunged at from the side. A video of the assault [5] showed the rest of the mob cheering on the attacker whilst continuing to admonish the victim as she tried to defend herself, retaliating against blow after unprovoked blow.

Teacher Misconduct

So, with the large number of racist incidents happening in schools across Scotland, what are the school staff doing about it? Well, here we encounter the problem of indifferent teachers.[6] In a report by Intercultural Youth Scotland, one young Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) student said, ‘I feel as if my school doesn’t really do any more after a first complaint on racism and discrimination,’ whilst another said, ‘The person who makes the racist remarks is treated with too much compassion and it is quickly dusted under the rug.’ In some cases, the indifference was quite brazen with one BAME student reporting, ‘I got no compassion, the teacher just said, ‘What do you want me to do about it?’ Coming back to Britney Ashinze’s unprovoked attack, in its aftermath, her schoolteachers became aware of the incident and, rather than punishing the attackers, initially suspended the Black victim, apparently being ‘in the wrong’ simply for existing while Black. Only after irrefutable video evidence of the attack surfaced was her suspension lifted, but the white attacker received no disciplinary action at all. She described how painful it was to then have to ‘sit out of classes’ and effectively being ‘punished for something that I didn't deserve and that wasn't my fault.’ It is a clear demonstration of why the majority of BAME students said they didn't think their school would ‘respond effectively to any concerns raised about racism or discrimination’.

Highly studious African and Caribbean school kids

Moreover, this passive attitude towards racism highlights the parallel of supposed ‘unconscious’ racial bias when predicting BAME students grades which are ‘always lower than for white pupils’.[7] This is highly irregular considering African and Caribbean kids tend to get 10%-20% higher results in their schoolwork than white classmates throughout p1-7 as well as between s1-2. But when they then enter puberty and grow as tall as their white instructors, there seems to be an overt perception shift where schoolteachers become threatened by Black attainment. So between s3-6, African and Caribbean kids results start noticeably falling due to a passive teacher disengagement/lack of support, as well as active ‘put downs’ and generally being treated unfavourably in the classroom from an early age.[8]

Racist teacher, Rachael Patterson leaving court

Beyond merely indifferent or 'unconsciously' bias teachers though, it also highlights a problem with intrinsically racist teachers.[9] For what other reason could Britney automatically be treated as the one in the wrong? There have certainly been reports of teachers explicitly expressing their racist attitudes outside the school context when in 2012, then 28-year-old Rachael Patterson called Senegalese nightclub bouncer M. Lee Mbaye a ‘f****** monkey’ and made monkey noises at him. In that case, the teacher was sacked from St Machar Academy in Aberdeen, struck off by the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS), and the police charged her with racially aggravated conduct, which later secured a conviction.

Yet, such seemingly decisive action to condemn her behaviour was overturned by the GTCS just one year later when she was allowed back on the teaching register and resumed working in schools.[10] So much for supposedly wanting to ‘sufficiently demonstrate to the public commitment to promoting equality and diversity’. With such a U-turn, perhaps it is no wonder that some teachers are explicitly expressing their racist attitudes within the school context. On one occasion, a white secondary school teacher with Pakistani, Indian and Syrian pupils was heard saying, ‘I think I am coming into a refugee camp.’ In another case, a white teacher mentoring an aspiring and gifted BAME teacher trainee complained she ‘smelled of curry’ to her university. With such people stirring Scotland’s youth, what other possible result can there be except for the rampant verbal, online and physical abuse experienced by their BAME schoolmates?

Higher Education

We might think that teacher trainee university student would have been shocked to hear such pedestrian racism against her, quite out of place in a higher institute of learning defined as being ‘progressive and forward-thinking.’ Those were the words of Rebecca Hilsenrath, chief executive at the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). However, their October 2019 report showed that racism is even rampant at university level [11] and in fact a

University of Glasgow

‘common experience’. With 24% of BAME students reporting they had been racial harassed whilst 20% of students had been racially attacked, National Union of Students (NUS) Scotland’s Black Students Officer, Franklin Jacob, condemned the figures as ‘damning’. With figures this high, why don’t the victims immediately approach their institutions to report the incidents? Well, one BAME international undergraduate student at a Scottish university [12] shed light on this saying, ‘There were other instances that made it clear that it would do me more harm than good making a fuss about it. A friend had reported an incident some time before that and was encouraged by staff to keep quiet.’ And what kind of incidents are these exactly? One account from BAME UK national undergraduate was, ‘I often tried to act more “white” and I used to conceal the fact I speak Cantonese and was embarrassed by my ethnicity.’ Rather than being nurtured for a successful future, another student said, ‘My confidence was completely knocked so I just hid away and tried to focus on my courses.’ There was also an account highlighting racial harassment's impact on mental health with one student with a pre-existing condition saying, ‘it's difficult to express how much these incidents contributed to a relapse which I had later that year. It was easier for me to isolate myself and not interact with others even when I really needed support because of how close I was to my perpetrators. I withdrew a few months after those incidents and returned to my home city.’

Aberdeen University student, Jessica Eze

Then of course there is the 13% gap between BAME and white student attainment for their final degree grade[13], with the former less likely to achieve a first or upper 2:1, leading to further frustration and possible demotivation that equivalent hard work is not equivalently rewarded. This is particularly egregious considering the strong emphasis on education in Nigerian households [14] as well as other African and Asian cultures. Hence the likes of Nigerian 5-year-old Desiree Alli [15] passing GCSE (Scottish equivalent National Qualification) maths exams, an assessment intended for 15/16-year-olds, as did Nigerian 6-year-old Esther Okade [16]. Joining the trend of academic excellence were Nigerian 7-year-old twins Paula and Peter Imafidon [17] as the youngest in the country to pass A-level (Scottish equivalent Higher Grades) maths exams, setting them all on the track for early university entry. Though for them like many other students of colour to potentially be marked down or indeed put down simply for their ethnicity is truly debilitating, as Nigerian medical student Jessica Eze reported experiencing at the University of Aberdeen. If this is the effect of racism on older 16+ university students, then what is the effect on younger secondary school students? Indeed, why is racism so pervasive at every level of the Scottish education system?

Unrepresentative Learning Environment

BAME teachers underrepresented in Scottish education

Part of the reason for the widespread xenophobia is perhaps a teaching body with an unrepresentative number of teachers of colour.[18] Even though people from BAME backgrounds make up 4% of Scotland’s population, only half that number are teachers, and a meagre 0.6% are headteachers or deputy heads. Perhaps it is no surprise then that a 2018 report by the Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights (CRER) said only ‘one third of Scotland’s 32 councils have no [BAME] teachers working in their schools’. [19] Ironically, the most significant ratio deficit was in the ‘most ethnically diverse local authorities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and East Renfrewshire.’ The reason for this discrepancy was partly blamed on a discriminatory recruitment process, obvious when we consider the fact BAME applicants for teaching posts are over-representative, but actual shortlisted candidates are under-representative. The report also stated there were ‘significant racial inequalities’ ranging from teacher training courses to recruitment practices in the Scottish teaching sector.

Then, if they do eventually pass the employment gauntlet, there are further problems faced by BAME teachers[20] Contrary to the respect their position should demand, there are reports of pupils not just being racist to fellow pupils but also directed monkey noises at a Black teacher in at least one case at Holy Rood RC High School in Edinburgh. This type of behaviour correlates with the results of a 2019 survey by the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) teaching union which also encompassed Scotland. It found 54% of BAME teachers have experienced verbal or non-verbal racial abuse in the previous 12 months. 37% felt the issue had ‘worsened in schools over the past year’, though 46% didn’t feel confident about reporting the racism to their employer. This is the same sentiment echoed by BAME victims of racism at school and university alike, with one academic at a Scottish university saying, ‘I did not report the incident as being racial harassment as this, in my view, would be difficult to establish and prove and I felt could have negative personal consequences for me within the workplace.’[21] Some of the negative consequences identified by the NASUWT teacher poll included being typically labelled as "oversensitive", "paranoid" or "aggressive" when challenging the workplace racial discrimination or harassment. What’s more, an Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) teaching union survey found many of their BAME respondents had ‘reduced access to workplace opportunities’ and ‘nearly half had experienced being overlooked for promotion’ and thus pay progression. This could highlight problems with retaining BAME teachers even once employed.

Range of Scottish Literature Classics

If more BAME teachers were employed and retained, this could then help usher in a less racist and more inclusive curriculum.[22] Professor Rowena Arshad, head of Moray House School of Education, Scotland’s leading teacher training institution at the University of Edinburgh, teaches multicultural and anti-racist education. Also a co-director of the Centre for Education for Racial Equality in Scotland (CERES), she said her teacher trainees seldom had knowledge of non-European musicians or scientists, and therefore did not know to respect the accomplishment of such individuals. Another problematic subject area was history which she described as ‘colonial’ in that it reinforced racist attitudes and side-lined Black pioneers. This is corroborated by BAME school students, most of whom felt their school subjects did not reflected their ‘life experiences as a BAME person in Scotland’. They particularly flagged up problems with English literature [23], stating their class did not read books about experiences relating to their culture, heritage and background. In addition to fostering racist attitudes in their white schoolmates and teachers, another result of the whitewash curriculum was Black students looking elsewhere for representation.[24] As author Irenosen Okojie stated in regards to the lack of diversity in UK publishing, particularly on childhood themes, ‘I had to look to American writers to see myself reflected…we need to bridge that gap,’ mirroring some of the Black and Scottish participants regarding ‘lack of relatable role models’.

So, coming back to Trevor Noah’s account of Black people in Scotland, I’d say they do in fact exist and their community is suffering from the ignorance of their situation in more ways than one. White Scottish people have not only tried to be racist, they have succeeded in abundance, and although I love the South African comedian’s jokes, it’s not laughing matter…

Course of Action

So now we know of the racism against Black people within the education sector of this ‘beautiful place, rich in history with rolling highlands, perfectly preserved castles 100s of years old, and men playing bagpipes in the streets’, what can be done about it? Let’s break it down step by step.

IYS spokesperson, Lana Abbas

Regarding racism in schools, there should be tailor made lessons regarding inclusion using racial diversity storybooks for younger students and various anti-racist education resources [25] for older students to bolster accepting and respectful school communities. Where this still fails, there should be shrewd and decisive punishment of racist students. 16-year-old Sudanese student Lana Abbas, co-chair and spokesperson of Intercultural Youth Scotland (IYS), said ‘Racism cannot and must not be treated the same as a bullying incident,’ perhaps recognising the hubris of believing one human being is better than another simply on the grounds of race is heinous way beyond the pale and needs tougher repercussions. She recognised ‘the best efforts of some teachers’ when dealing with racist incidents, but the disciplinary measures are not consistent. ‘We have evidence of schools following procedures correctly, but this is not the same in every school’.[26] Equally consistent should be the punishment for racist teachers and school staff. The GTCS decision to reinstate convicted teacher Rachael Patterson was the source of outrage for Aberdeen councillor Mohammed Malik. Also a member of the city’s Education Committee, he asserted such a serious incident should warrant that she be permanently struck of the teaching register. ‘This is a very sensitive profession and she might be racist towards children’.[27] Surely BAME students would have more confidence coming forward about racist incidents if a solid zero-tolerance message was shown in such cases.

BAME University Graduate

Regarding racism in universities, a similar zero-tolerance ‘culture towards racial harassment on campuses stamping out hatred and prejudice for good,’ was suggested by NUS Scotland's Black Students Officer, Franklin Jacob. He called for all universities to take measures to ‘address transparency of reporting procedures’ and ‘provide proper redress for victims.’[28] Thus, their feeling on graduation day will not be bittersweet marred with racist abuse, but solely of intense pride born of profound accomplishment. In addition, one BAME UK National Postgraduate Researcher at a Scottish university proposed that staff are trained to be ‘better equipped for dealing with difficult situations. My line manager was unsure of how to take disciplinary action and was left in quite a difficult position, dealing with a situation they weren't trained for. None of my managers dealt with my situation appropriately and I felt totally ignored.’ [29] Therefore, with better guidance from the human resources department, universities can fulfil the mandate of ‘tackling and eradicating’ racism, thus allowing students, researchers and staff - both from home and abroad -‘to flourish without the distress it causes’ as one Scottish government spokesperson stated.

Regarding racism against BAME teachers, councils across Scotland should ‘increase the number of teachers from ethnically diverse backgrounds.’[30] This was suggested by the 2018 Diversity in the Teacher Profession focus group chaired by Professor Rowena Arshad, which came up with various recommendations to do so by 2030. Additionally, local authorities should implement more anti-discrimination training.[31]

Equality Consultant, Gillian Neish receiving
‘Exceptional Contribution to Society’ Award at
Ahl Al Bait Peace and Unity Conference.

‘Guidance, training and expectations for schools to take action on racism and ethnic diversity is urgently needed,’ said Allana Gay and Penny Rabiger, founding members of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Educators (BAMEed). ‘Until schools decide to take proactive actions to build an inclusive culture highlighting protected characteristics, external influences will shape understanding,’ undoubtedly leading to racist stereotypes hindering application processes and creating negative work environments. Along the same vein, Ms Chris Keates, General Secretary (Acting) of the NASUWT said through their ongoing Act for Racial Justice campaign, they would ‘continue to support members in challenging these injustices, but much more action is needed by Government to affect the systemic change which is needed to ensure that no pupil or teacher is held back because of their ethnicity or faith.’ Consultants such as the Scottish Association of Minority Ethnic Educators (SAMEE)[32] through initiatives like the Anti-Racist Educator[33] can help fulfil this mandate. Also, there’s Glasgow-based Neish Training[34] delivering professional courses and workshops that ‘encourage participants to consider the implications of power inequalities and the effects on individuals, to actively challenge racism and all discriminatory treatment and to create an environment where diversity is valued.’

Contemporary Black British Literature

Regarding racist/exclusionary curriculum, Professor Rowena Arshad is one voice amongst many calling for it to be ‘decolonialised’.[35] Founder of Intercultural Youth Scotland, Khaleda Noon, expressed the same sentiment in order to overturn the widespread feeling amongst BAME students of not recognising themselves in the prescribed books in English class, or in the ‘historical events they learned about,’ intensifying the sensation of exclusion.[36] She continued, ‘We have heard young people tell us they have heard the n-word when

Scottish poet laureate, Jackie Kay

learning about slavery, for example. People need to become culturally proficient and do it in a way that is sensitive, so it won’t put young BAME kids in an uncomfortable position in front of their whole class. This is just one example.’ This could also potentially help people like Stephanie Gyasi’s white Scottish schoolmate to understand why calling her the n-word is deeply wrong. Recommendations for more contemporary BAME heritage and history were also made, and there are certainly plenty of choices as seen in author Kit de Waal’s 2018 book clinic for the best novels on modern Black British lives.[37] Equally, author Nikesh Shukla offers a board selection in his 2019 reading list on the best books to understand race in Britain.[38] More locally, there are books like Venus as a Boy[39] by author Luke Sutherland drawing on his sister and his experiences growing up as the only Black kids on the Orkney Islands. This is just one example from a range of celebrated works from Black Writers with links to Scotland [40], of course including the Poet Laureate Professor Jackie Kay.

Whilst more diverse literature might go some way to impede forming negative biases towards BAME people, what can be done to help those who have already been infected by such prejudices? One solution is to embed ‘anti-racist education across all parts of the curriculum’ as stated by Nicola Fisher, Convener of the EIS Equality Committee. Other solutions suggested by Khaleda Noon include creating "culturally-proficient" to ‘allow for open discussion on racism, including new forms of racism based on Islamophobia, anti-immigration attitudes and religious intolerance’. Bringing BAME youth workers into schools, and supporting more BAME parent participation in school councils and other school activities would also move things forward. This could then lead to more intercultural trips and events beyond Black History Month, which in turn nurture better intercultural intelligence.

Empowering Scottish BAME Youth

Whilst these measures will go a long way to help future BAME students going through the Scottish education system, what can be done to help those who have already been affected by it? Assault victim Britney Ashinze spoke not just of a lack of confidence towards the school properly dealing with racism, but also alluded to a lack of confidence forming within.[41] She troublingly shared that when she experiences such incidents, she asks herself, ‘maybe I am meant to be treated badly, like someone who is not a human - because that is what I get called pretty much all my life - a monkey, a slave, or someone who belongs in a farm and not in a school.’ At the cusp of completing her schooling, instead of being built up to face the world, her treatment has left her with unjustified questions of self-worth. Thankfully, she has enterprises that will help to build her up again. They include African Supplementary Saturday Schools for young people like the Kwame Nkrumah Heritage Academy; BAME youth development organisations like PATH Scotland [42], and Malawian entrepreneur Baylie Adeoti.

Entrepreneur Baylie Adeoti

On Black and Scottish, she recounted growing up in Glasgow and never seeing anyone of a dark-skin colour sharing what they did in later life, meaning no successful career role-models to counter any racist narratives in her school environment. ‘I want to change the story, I want to create a different narrative,’ and indeed she has as Managing Director of Dechomai Events, which offers work experience and training for BAME service users.[43] Designed to empower school leavers with confidence issues and an unwarranted ‘I-can’t-do-that’ attitude, the initiative encourages them to move forward toward their life goals, be it segueing to another industry, starting their own business or continuing toward university. Like so many in Stewart Kyasimire’s documentary, she is leading by example, letting Scotland’s BAME youth know ‘the world is your oyster and it’s there for you to see.’

Yes, Scotland has a long way to go before resolving its issues with racism in education, but with a concerted effort, they could well be on their way.

~ by Abiọ́dún Ọlátòkunbọ̀ Abdul

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