ABSTRACT
The majority of social scientists and educationalists who have looked at the socio-historical background to the current situation have tended to use policy as a focus for understanding the changes that have taken place. The interface between racial oppression and gender oppression is also significant. The history of racism in the United Kingdom goes back further than the date of the post-war arrival of a significant number of Black people from the colonies. The civil rights struggle of Black people in this country is broadly-based and has roots in a variety of political positions. The two main positions are exemplified by the Campaign Against Racial Discrimination (CARD) tradition and the Racial Action Adjustment Society (RAAS) tradition. The police now have more power than they have ever had before to stop and search people in the street — a power that, it is argued, is used particularly against Black people, especially Black youth.
