Racial Adjustment Action Society

The Racial Adjustment Action Society (or Raas, which in Jamaican connotes buttocks or arse)^[1][2] was a Black Power movement formed in 1965,^[3] following visits of Malcolm X in 1964 and 1965.^[4][5] Its founders were Michael de Freitas (Abdul Malik) who had emigrated to London in 1957 from Trinidad and had re-named himself Michael X, and Roy Sawh.^[6][7][8] It has been described as the forerunning Black Power organization in Britain of the time.^[9] RAAS was considered to be 'stridently militant', and in 1967 Michael X was jailed for incitement to racial hatred.^[10] Roy Sawh was also jailed for incitement to racial hatred.^[3]

The Black House

Early in 1969 RAAS bought premises at 95–101 Holloway Road for use as a cultural centre, shopping complex, hostel and headquarters, to be called "The Black House".^[10] On 15 January 1970 it was damaged by a fire.^[11] The police suspected that the fire had been the result of arson (which Michael X asserted was untrue^[11]), and in April 1970, Michael X and seven other RAAS members were arrested after allegations by businessman Mervin Brown that he had been robbed and assaulted.^[10] In autumn 1970 the Black House was closed down following a police raid, and RAAS fragmented.^[12][13][14]

Other related groups

Other related groups included the Co-ordinating Committee Against Racial Discrimination (CCARD) in Birmingham, the Indian Workers Association, the Movement for Colonial Freedom and the Indian Youth League,^[13] the Conference of Afro-Asian-Caribbean Organisations (CAACO) in London (the latter founded by Claudia Jones in 1962) and the Universal Coloured People's Association, formed by Obi Egbuna in 1967.^[3]