Emancipationtt.org
Title
Emancipation Support Committee of Trinidad and Tobago- Index
Description
The Emancipation Support Committee was born out of the joint efforts of a group of African organizations in Trinidad & Tobago. It acts in its own right or as an umbrella to advance the interests of Africans nationally and internationally.
The history, ethnic composition, economic, social and political realities of this Caribbean country created the impetus for ethnic organizations to emerge and play an important part in the development of the nation. The twin island state with a population of 1.2 million - made up of Africans 39.6%, Indians 40.3%, another 18% describing themselves as mixed and the rest made up of Europeans, Chinese and Syrian-Lebanese - was founded in its modern incarnation on the near elimination of the indigenous population. The centuries that followed were marked by chattel slavery and East Indian indentureship, leaving an ever renewing residue of white racism that still influences the economic and social structure, and clouds the psyche of all groups in the society.
Such is the context in which the network, known as the Emancipation Support Committee, was formalized in 1992, largely on the initiative of the Traditional African National Association. However the roots of the current organization go much deeper since the constituent groups have been active for several years, networking had developed in practice over a long period of time, and the leadership of the ESC is well established. The chairman of the committee and a number of its other leaders are persons who have gained national prominence and respect for decades of consistent struggle, going back to the late 1960's, on broad national issues as well as involvement in programs specifically targeted to the upliftment of Africans.
