A Glasgow teacher's lighthearted rant about Scottish summer weather has gone viral, sparking a global conversation about race, diaspora and diversity. Torgi Squire, 43, posted a TikTok video last week complaining that the weather always improves once children return to school. The post has since amassed nearly 4 million views and gained him over 200,000 new followers.
The video was picked up by a US weather reporter, leading to an influx of comments from African Americans expressing surprise and delight at hearing a black man with a strong Scottish accent. This prompted a wave of content under the hashtag #blackscottishtiktok, with black Scots engaging in banter and answering questions from their American counterparts.
Squire noted that many Americans have limited awareness of Scotland beyond films like Braveheart or Shrek, and are unaware of the black Scottish diaspora. He added that even people in England have expressed surprise at a black person with a Scottish accent. Squire, who grew up in the 1980s when his secondary school had only four black pupils, described Scotland as welcoming but acknowledged that racism still exists.
Ellie Koepplinger, 28, who posts about race and politics on TikTok, said the interest has been exciting and highlighted that black Scots have their own racial politics. She suggested that the hostile environment for black people in the US under Trump has driven interest in Scotland as a potential destination. Manny Daphey, a 20-year-old student, saw his following double as Americans engaged with his content, comparing the interaction to speaking with 'long-lost cousins'.
Comedian Roy Wood Jr, host of CNN's Have I Got News For You US, has been travelling across Scotland's central belt to interview black Scots and prove their existence to his fellow Americans. He noted that US schools barely teach about the African diaspora in the UK, contributing to the surprise.
