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Black Womxn Must Be Heard In An Independent And Equal Scotland

As a collective of Black Womxn, our opinions are as varied as our own experiences. Yet, we all agree that our participation in re-imagining a future Scotland is vital.

Some of us voted in favour of independence, in keeping with many of our fellow citizens living in urban areas. Many of us with heritages from countries which had gained independence from the British Empire saw the chance for Scotland to become an independent country and hoped for the opportunity to help shape it.

We all agree that the current systems and institutions do not work for many of us. In an era of global Black Lives Matter protests, Scotland has proven that it is not immune from the same issues. Sheku Bayoh died while being apprehended by Scottish police in 2015. The circumstances of his death remain unclear and we see no justice for him or his family. This June, Police Scotland shot Badreddin Abadlla Adam in broad daylight. We have to ask ourselves and our compatriots, “Would either man have died if they had not been black?”

As right-wing groups are protesting to protect what they see as their heritage and public spaces, we feel unsafe and unable to look to the police for protection. Considering this, independence supporters aren't confident that an independent Scotland will improve social justice. More likely, there will be a reproduction of the same white supremacist institutions, systems and structures.