Singing the Force of the Imagination: How to Wonder About the Emotional-Reportage in Immigration Advocacy

Authors

Joshua J. Schroeder

Abstract

In the years leading up to July 4, 1776, Phillis Wheatley bid the imaginations of the American Revolutionaries to spring open by shouting: “Imagination! Who can sing thy force?” Wheatley defined the imagination as the leader of the mental train, and, according to Ciceronian principles, she demonstrated that the imagination is the singular facilitator of human action. Despite numerous calls to venerate American originalism over the past several decades, the founding concept of the imagination remains an underdeveloped topic in the legal field, even while it reigns over the decision-making processes of all U.S. legislators, administrators, and judges.

However, on September 21, 2023 the imagination properly invaded Professor Warren Binford’s multi-disciplinary symposium Advocating for Children in Migration, a part of the ongoing Testimony series at the University of Colorado, Anschutz. This event followed the publication of Hear My Voice/Escucha Mi Voz, a children’s book featuring statements of children held in migrant detention facilities compiled by Professor Binford for Project Amplify. In addition, Project Amplify encouraged the creation of BorderX, Do You Know Where the Children Are (DYKWTCA), 365 artworks by Andra, and The Ghost of Abuelito by Kristen Grainger & True North. Still more artworks were debuted at the symposium including Fly to Heal, Soul Echoes, and Still Life Cafe.

Even while these artistic bursts of inspiration began to grow, they did not easily cross over into conversations about legal and medical advocacy. Most of the lawyers and doctors at the symposium appeared to believe that the artworks at the event were a completely separate advocacy effort, though discussion about the arts as advocacy was strongly encouraged. This is to be expected in professional circles that are still trained to rely on individual rather than common reason to make strategic decisions.

Human beings, imperfect as we are, rarely start out on key, but over time we can improve. Binford’s compilations, symposiums, and events could be a step toward the renewal of the American imagination in professional circles that may inspire us to innovate solutions to the immigration crisis. This article is dedicated to the observation of the stumbling starts of the American professional class toward their ultimate realization that they too are subject to the vivacious force of the imagination over the faultiness of Rationalism.

Recommended Citation

Joshua J. Schroeder, Singing the Force of the Imagination: How to Wonder About the Emotional-Reportage in Immigration Advocacy, 21 Hastings Race & Poverty L.J. 1 (2024).
Available at: https://repository.uclawsf.edu/hastings_race_poverty_law_journal/vol21/iss1/2