OBJECTIVES OF THE ESC
The Emancipation Support Committee aims to function as an integral part of the network of Africans in the diaspora engaged in the work of transformation and development targeted at the restoration of African self-hood, spiritual connectedness, and creative, economic and social potential. The Emancipation celebrations are considered as one of the principal vehicles through which the Committee can engage other local organizations, the people of Trinidad & Tobago and the rest of the Caribbean, other Africans in the diaspora and on the African continent in the united effort that is needed.
In furtherance of this goal, the organization seeks to pursue programmes and projects which would enable it to be a powerful moral and social force capable of influencing the direction the society takes. Among the organization's stated objects are:
- To organize the national observance of the Emancipation of Africans from chattel slavery in Trinidad and Tobago, and the former British empire, and to fully utilize the capabilities of member organizations, other interested persons and organizations in doing so.
- To engage in joint initiatives with other countries where Emancipation Day is also celebrated, regionally and internationally, to produce the highest quality commemoration and to ensure the greatest possible recognition and appreciation of emancipation by the global community.
- To educate the population at large about the meaning of emancipation.
- To deepen networking processes among African organizations in Trinidad & Tobago
- To develop a broad range of solid regional and international relationships in the fields of culture, intellectual exchange, sharing of human resources, economics and all other areas relevant to African development.
- To ensure that Africans develop an equitable stake in the economy of Trinidad & Tobago
- To assist Africans to restore the emphasis once placed on learning and to establish activities which will continue to build Africans' self knowledge, self esteem, social awareness, and general knowledge on a global scale.
- To seek appropriate representations of Africans in the mass media and in the formal education system
- To ensure respect for African religious forms and support initiatives for the development of African spirituality
- To act as an advocate for African interests in Trinidad and Tobago and to broaden that advocacy strategically to embrace causes of, and relevant to Africans anywhere in the world.