Empire, Slavery and Scotland's Museums steering group recommendations: Scottish Government Response

Recommendation two

Museums should ensure anti-racism is embedded in their workplaces and public spaces.

The Scottish Government accepts this recommendation.

This recommendation reflects the Scottish Government view that our cultural spaces should be inclusive and equally welcoming to all the people of Scotland. In the Culture Strategy for Scotland, published in March 2022 the Vision for Scotland states.

'Shared cultural experiences foster inclusivity, creativity and understanding. Everyone should have the opportunity to participate in, develop and enjoy culture which, in turn, helps individuals and communities to thrive in Scotland.'

Much of the detail of this recommendation is for Museums Galleries Scotland and individual museums to deliver, through increasing training for staff to embed anti-racism approaches. This will however need financial support to set up and deliver.

This will require a significant culture change across our organisations. There are a number of methods which may be used to deliver this recommendation. There could be steps taken to increase the diversity across all grades of museum staff, including Board members, improving the ability of people to pursue cultural opportunities. The Scottish Government would like to see more accurate interpretations of new and existing collections to adequately contextualise empire and historic slavery in our history. This work is both necessary and vital to ensure there is appropriate representation and recognition of our colonial past.

To support this important work, the Scottish Government has provided funding towards the development of the Museums Galleries Scotland project "Delivering Change". The project will support the museum sector to develop more equitable and inclusive practice across under-represented communities including all protected characteristics.

The delivery phase of Delivering Change began in September 2023 and will run for four years. The Scottish Government will commit to continuing to provide funding for the remainder of the project.