Black Lives in Scotland: Jeanette R. Davidson shares our stories

Do you ever wonder what life was like for the one Black child or few Black children, you knew growing up in Scotland?  What happened to those children? Do you consider their experience to be part of Scotland’s legacy? Are they even Scottish? Are you one of us?

Jeanette Davidson was one of these children. Setting the scene within Scotland’s spotted racial history and ongoing social and cultural context, she relates poignant stories of challenge, love, hostility, support, vulnerability, strength, abandonment, resilience, empowerment, accomplishment and identity of Black Scots growing up in the country, from babyhood to adulthood.

Understanding their importance to a strong, evolving multiracial Scottish society, she also includes narratives of new immigrant families from Africa and the Diaspora. The book addresses “from the inside” the myths and realities of Scottish values and history related to people of African descent and sheds light on daily life, community, belonging, surviving, Black-Scottish identity, anti-racist behaviour, truth, liberation, hope and possibilities for the future.

Join us for a talk about the book followed by discussion of the stories that shaped it

Black Lives in Scotland is a must read for all … and reveals how in Scotland the continuous struggle for global liberty and personal freedoms remains a lasting hardship.– Valerie Grim, Indiana University and President of the National Council for Black Studies

This book is essential reading for anyone wishing to understand how the social construction of race and racism have shaped modern Scotland.– Stephen Mullen, University of Glasgow