Black Scottish people

According to the 2011 UK Census, Black Scottish people (self-described as African, Caribbean, Black or any other Black background) were numbered at about 36,000. This figure indicates an increase in population of 28,000 Black Scottish since the previous UK census in 2001.[3] The group represents around 0.7% of Scotland's population, compared to 3.0% of the overall UK population.[4][5]

The identity of Black Scottish people has evolved since the arrival of Black people in Scotland as early as the fifteenth century, with significant numbers arriving in the twentieth century after World War II.[6] The development of a cohesive Black Scottish identity has progressed, with Black African and Afro-Caribbean descent the most commonly claimed ancestry involved in the sense of identity.[7] Among other factors,[8] studies into the experiences of Scottish Somalis, who tend to be historically newer immigrant groups to the nation, have shown that ethnoreligious factors can complicate the expression of any monocultural or racial identity of Black Scottish.[9]

• Aminatta Forna (writer)
• Kayus Bankole (member of Mercury Prize winners Young Fathers)
• Shereen Cutkelvin (singer in girl group Neon Jungle)
• Nicolette (musician)
• Tony Osoba (actor)
• Ncuti Gatwa (actor)
• Moyo Akandé (actress)
• Layla-Roxanne Hill (writer and activist)
• Finley Quaye (musician)
• Jackie Kay (writer)
• Eunice Olumide (model)
• Luke Sutherland (novelist and musician)
• Stewart Kyasimire (film director)

The diary of World War I veteran Arthur Roberts has been noted as an important historical document, for its preservation of the historical record of one of the earliest known Black Scottish soldiers.[10]

The British Guiana-born Andrew Watson is widely considered to be the world's first association footballer of Black heritage (his father was White and mother Black) to play at international level.[11][12][13] He was capped three times for Scotland between 1881 and 1882. Watson also played for Queen's Park, the leading Scottish club at the time, and later became their secretary. He led the team to several Scottish Cup wins, thus becoming the first player of Black heritage to win a major competition.[13]

With some brief exceptions, such as Jamaican born Gil Heron at Celtic, Walter Tull signing for Rangers, and John Walker at Hearts, Black players largely disappeared from Scottish football for the next 100 years until the arrival of Mark Walters at Rangers in 1988. Walters arrival at the club resulted in incidents of racial abuse.[14][15]

The Scotland national team did not call up a second player of Black heritage until Nigel Quashie (Black Ghanaian father and White English mother), made his debut against Estonia in May 2004. He qualified to play for Scotland, due to having a grandfather from Scotland.[16] Subsequently Coatbridge-born Chris Iwelumo (Black father from Nigeria), has also played for Scotland. Other notable players with black heritage who were born in Scotland, or have represented Scotland, include:

• Joe Ansbro, Rugby
• Sean Crombie, Rugby
• Kieron Achara, Basketball
• Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong, Winter Olympic Skier

In 2017, the SNP's Graham Campbell was elected as Scotland's first Rastafarian councillor,[3] and Glasgow's first to have African Caribbean ancestry.[18]

The group have faced prejudice and racism in Scottish society. In a Strathclyde University survey, almost 45 percent of black Scottish reported experiencing discrimination between 2010 and 2015.[19]