The most interesting method that has been shown through Odetta’s work is Empathic Imagination. Empathic Imagination is described as being aware of other emotions by seeing the situation from their perspective and using this idea to provide comfort to the person, similar to the original purpose of Folk music. This concept was also spread through many other art forms, such as paintings and poetry. As we learn about Odetta’s career with Folk , we can also see how she used this idea of empathic imagination to make her songs speak to the black audience, especially during the Civil Rights era. 

       Odetta’s songs often fell into the true characteristics of folk music, depicting the life of those in working class. She also had a hand in politics and was brought on to perform for many Civil Rights events. While performing for these events, Odetta also found her own ground in her internal politics on what it was like fighting for the rights of Black Americans from a female perspective. Many black women know the amount of pressure that is placed on them to not only be strong in the fight for racial justice, but also assimilate themselves to their white counterparts to allow themselves the accessibility to certain spaces. Odetta recognized that this was a problem within the community for most of the black women and even within herself.