A Glasgow teacher's lighthearted rant about Scottish summer weather has gone viral on TikTok, amassing nearly 4 million views and sparking a global conversation about race, diaspora, and diversity. Torgi Squire, a 43-year-old design and technology teacher, posted a video lamenting how the weather always improves once children return to school, signing off with his trademark phrase, 'a belter of a day'. The post was picked up by a US weather reporter, and soon African Americans flooded the comments with amazement at discovering a black man with a strong Scottish accent.
The phenomenon, dubbed #blackscottishtiktok, has generated thousands of posts as black Scots engage with their American counterparts. Squire, who has gained over 200,000 new followers, noted that many Americans' only reference points for Scotland are films like Braveheart or Shrek. 'They don't seem to have much awareness of the diaspora,' he said. 'But it's not just Americans—people in England have also expressed surprise at a black person with a Scottish accent.'
Ellie Koepplinger, 28, who posts about race and politics on TikTok, predicted the trend would be huge. She added that the interest from the US has a practical edge: 'Trump has made America so hostile to black people that having so many people talk about their positive experience in Scotland has generated interest from those keen to leave the States.' The trend has also prompted conversations among black Scots about racism and challenges they face, with Koepplinger noting that the black community in Scotland is small but 'excited to grow'.
Manny Daphey, a 20-year-old student, saw his following double as Americans flocked to his videos. 'I felt like I was speaking to my long-lost cousins,' he said, adding that negative comments have been vastly outweighed by positivity. Comedian Roy Wood Jr, host of CNN's Have I Got News For You US, travelled to Scotland to interview black Scots, aiming to prove to fellow Americans that they exist. He noted that US schools 'barely teach' about black Scottish history.
