Scholarships proposed as part of slavery museum bid

Exchange scholarships between Scotland, the US and the Caribbean nations are being proposed in a bid to acknowledge the countries’ part in the transatlantic slave trade.

It is proposed the schemes will be named after US abolitionists Frederick Douglass, who visited Scotland in 1846, and Harriet Tubman, and will offer opportunities for young people and also provide alternatives to exchange programmes lost following Brexit.

The scholarships are being proposed by Stuart Mcmillan MSP as part of a plan

to establish a national human rights museum that would educate visitors about Scotland’s role in the slave trade.

Mcmillan, whose is campaigning for the museum to be located in his Inverclyde constituency, which retains links to the slave trade, including street names, said: “Douglass and Tubman are inspirational people, with Douglass having visited places including Greenock and Edinburgh as part of his abolitionist efforts. Tubman’s story shows women were key players in the abolitionist movement too.

“As we look to better shed light on Scotland’s past, founding and naming scholarships after these two individuals would signal our intent to seriously recognise the part we played in the slave trade.”