TAMPA, Fla. — This week, the immigration debate has been shaped and influenced by a singular image: A man and his daughter, drowned as they sought asylum in the United States.
At the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts in Tampa, one of just 10 museums in the nation where they focus on the art and power of still imagery, the photo has captured their attention along with the rest of the world.
“This image is a very strong connection to how we identify ourselves as a family member. To our children. To our parents,” said Zora Carrier, the museum’s executive director.
Carrier discussed how still-image photography – how a moment captured in time – can evoke emotion, drive a conversation and even influence public policy.
“Photographers have a lot of responsibility,” said Carrier. “Because things can change based on what they show to their viewers and what they bring, what kind of message.”
While there is clearly disagreement on the issue of immigration, there has been universal grief as people share the haunting image of a little girl clinging to her father - even until death.
“The people who make these decisions and policies also live in families,” said Carrier, “So, I believe that they can’t overlook images like this.”
Iconic photographs have stirred debate, and often lead to change for more than a century now by steering our collective conscience when it comes to war, foreign policy and civil rights.
“It’s obvious that the photographer has just captured, frozen that moment in time. Frozen that moment in time,” said Angela Manning, visiting the museum in Tampa. “With a human being, an animal, a city, a building. They have just seen something and been able to capture it.”
Perhaps not surprisingly, some of the most powerful influential images of the last century have involve children.
From child labor in the early 20th century, to young people caught in the crosshairs of war. Starvation. Foreign policy. Domestic policy, and gun control. And now, immigration.
“They all affect us all, including the policymakers,” said Carrier.
No question the haunting, heartbreaking image of Oscar Martinez and his daughter Valeria have again influenced the conversation. Whether that leads to policy change is not yet clear. But even an era of video, it’s often a single image that says the most.
“It will change the way that they see the situation of these people. I think so, said Carrier. “I believe in that.”
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