To the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, John Swinney, and the Scottish Government.

The events of the past two weeks have caused many people across the world to examine the state of race relations in their own countries. Many have finally opened their eyes to the harsh reality of Scotland’s role in the transatlantic slave trade. While not often discussed, the repercussions are still viscerally felt.

We have devised three objectives, the implementation of which ought to be seriously considered:

1. Curriculum for Black Excellence. The Scottish Government should implement within the broad general education, the social, historical and political context of BAME experiences, as well as the increased inclusion of materials by BAME creatives and academics across the entire curriculum. 
2. Diversify representation of teaching staff and leadership. Through the use of effective incentives and other measures, we demand an increase in the diversity of teaching and leadership staff in every school across the country.
3. Educate our educators. We demand that completion of a racial awareness course must be a compulsory requirement for all education degrees in Scotland, as well as continuous, up-to-date training for already qualified teachers.

The Scottish Government has made incredible strides regarding inclusivity, especially as we are now the first country in the world to implement LGBTQIA+ compulsory learning in our curriculum.  We encourage you to, again, lead by example and support BAME communities which make Scotland our home.