There are often times when I find myself wondering if I can keep up with the fight - questioning if I can continue to advocate to centre humanity in an educational system that has historically overlooked those on the margins. This work can be tiring, especially as I navigate challenges from within the system I hope to see change. In the midst of so much uncertainty in higher education, it can be difficult for students to envision what comes next, as the future can feel discouraging. However, as we celebrated Canada's Emancipation Day last month (August 1st), I was reminded of the power of imagining beyond what we know today.
Growing up, I was never what most folks considered creative. I didn't enjoy arts classes or look forward to playing make-believe as much as most other kids. Instead, I asked for extra homework and textbooks from higher grade levels, always wanting to understand how things worked. Because of my seemingly never-ending desire to ask questions, imaginative wasn’t often used to describe me. Instead, I was defined as logical, smart, and sometimes even strong-headed. I was made to believe, as many young people are, that I could only be one or the other: intelligent and curious or creative and imaginative. But, through my experiences in both higher education and the beginnings of a career in advocacy, I have learned two invaluable lessons about imagination. First: that imagination and curiosity are not mutually exclusive, but instead, that they support one another in the process of discovery and challenging the “known”; and second: that imagination is key to bringing about change in this world.
My experiences in student advocacy have shown me that change is rooted in the ability to imagine. This, of course, isn’t to say we shouldn’t acknowledge our current realities. Instead, radical imagination calls for us to understand reality and face its truths, but refuse its permanence and its often otherwise unquestioned systems. It asks us to replace these assumptions with possible visions of what our world could become. In a university context, this means imagining what our schools, campuses and communities could look like if we were willing to think beyond what already exists. It asks us to believe in a world otherwise so we can work towards it.
Emancipation Day reminds me of the freedom fighters who had to imagine themselves as free, long before the law allowed it. As explained by Dr. Jenn M. Jackson, in their work Black Women Taught Us (2024), these enslaved people fought not only for their freedom from (from slaveowners, from exploitation, from systems of abuse) but also for their freedom to. Their freedom to choose, to dream, to take solace - their freedom to imagine worlds beyond the reality they had been born into. Last month, and every month, I’m reminded of the bravery and strength demonstrated by the freedom fighters who imagined better for themselves and for generations of Black folks who came after them.
So yes, advocating for change can feel daunting - questions like where could I possibly begin may discourage you from moving forward, but I encourage you to remain inspired and choose bravery anyway. Beyond this, I’d like to remind you that change is often slow-moving, yes, but powerful nonetheless. At Laurier Students’ Union, I feel change in the work of our services team, who volunteer their time and effort to support meeting the needs of the Laurier student body. Whether it's the Food Bank committee members who pack parcels so students can access food, no matter their circumstances, or HawkWalk volunteers who run a safe-walk home program to support in protecting our student body. I remain astonished by the work of these student volunteers and their willingness to give what they can to support what others need - a philosophy I aim to live by.
As we begin another school year, I encourage you to allow your curiosity to fuel your imagination. Let your studies be fueled by questions that go beyond "how" or "why does this work" and instead, begin to ask "is this working," "who is it working for," and "how might this be better for humanity.” This is one benefit of post-secondary education: it offers unique opportunities not only to learn about the world as it is, but to question, explore, and imagine what it could become. Whether in the classroom, through student advocacy, or beyond university, our questions and capacity for imagination allow us to help shape the world. As Ruha Benjamin reminds us, “it matters whose imaginations get to materialize as our shared future.”
Your imagination, in tandem with your knowledge and curiosity, has the power to shape our shared future. Let that be your hope.
Thank you.
