Hansard

I welcome the motion and the debate that has been secured by Stuart McMillan. We must recognise, as Jeremy Balfour did, that the Black Lives Matter movement and the death of George Floyd have been instrumental in the renewed focus and debate in Scotland and across the UK on our country’s past links with colonialism and the slave trade. It is important that we actively consider those issues and how we respond to them, in discussion not just in Parliament but across the wider country, too. Although we cannot erase the past, we can do more to ensure that we remember it honestly. A national museum of human rights would be one way to achieve that. I therefore support the idea of having a national museum and establishing it in Inverclyde.

Earlier this year, Inverclyde Council set up a working group in response to the new public discussion on our past. A council report reflects honestly on how Inverclyde was a hub for the slave trade, as Stuart McMillan and others have said. Inverclyde was particularly active in sugar and tobacco trading. Regrettably, Greenock’s first member of Parliament, Robert Wallace, owned and co-mortgaged five plantations in Jamaica and owned more than 500 slaves. Therefore, Inverclyde would be an appropriate place for such a museum, and I support the aspirations and hopes that are expressed in the motion. A national museum must commit itself to a wide-ranging recognition of our entire country’s role; Stuart McMillan raised some important points about how other issues affecting people’s history could be incorporated.

There are a couple of obvious questions for the Scottish Government on this topic. The Government has said that it is supportive of the idea, but it would be helpful to know whether the Government is committed to a single physical space or whether it is considering options such as virtual or pop-up exhibitions across the country to explore different regional contributions to the slave trade. Secondly, we can all respect the fact that, as one of the areas worst hit by the Covid crisis, Inverclyde would benefit from the creation of a museum, but it would be unfair for one council, which is already suffering due to cuts, to bear the cost of a national museum. Therefore, it would also be helpful to know whether the Government is prepared to fully fund the capital and revenue costs of a national museum.

In considering the proposal, the Government must also commit to using education in our schools as another way of recognising our past links with colonialism. Like other members, I have raised with the education secretary the view that Scottish pupils should be taught about our abhorrent historical links with slavery. I raised that issue following representations from young people and teachers, who contacted me because they are upset that their education has left this piece of Scottish history untouched. I welcome the confirmation that a reference guide on key resources on black history and minority ethnic heritage has been made available. However, the Government must go further and ensure that there are direct, accurate and detailed resources about Scotland’s past. As Stuart McMillan said, Inverclyde’s and Scotland’s history are inextricably linked with colonialism and slave trading, so there is scope to build on the curriculum that we have and go further in teaching a more honest representation of Scotland’s past and past Scots.

The discussion on Scotland’s past will not go away, and nor should it. This is an opportunity to redouble our efforts in the campaign for equality. Although we are discussing today the injustices of the past, it is clear that there is also injustice today on which we must take action. Coronavirus has disproportionately hit black and minority ethnic communities, and black and minority ethnic people continue to be chronically underrepresented in Scottish public life. We must also take action against modern-day slavery. The Co-operative Party suggests that there are 13,000 victims of modern slavery in the UK, and I renew my support for its campaign.

Slavery was one of the great evils in society, and it remains so. Even today, tens of thousands of people across the UK are believed to be victims of forced labour, sexual exploitation and modern forms of slavery. Understanding the past helps us to understand the injustices of today. Our role now is to remember past injustices while fighting against those injustices that continue to prevail in Scottish society today.