Mia Owens is the inaugural fellow for a new, two-year Public History Graduate Fellowship in the History of Slavery and Its Legacies in Washington, D.C. The fellowship is a partnership between The White House Historical Association and Antiracist Research & Policy Center at American University in Washington, D.C. The Antiracism Center is a collaboration between the School of International Service and the College of Arts and Sciences.
Owens, who is pursuing a master’s degree in public history at American University, will spend two academic years researching and developing interpretive material around the history and legacy of slavery throughout the city, and researching and writing for the association’s Slavery in the President’s Neighborhood project.
Owens is a graduate of Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. She most recently served as an AmeriCorps Local History member for the Ohio History Service Corps. Previously, as part of her undergraduate studies, Owens conducted oral history research in the predominantly African American Rosedale neighborhood of Homewood, Alabama, documenting stories and artifacts from a community deeply connected to the Civil Rights Movement.
“This is an exciting time to be involved in public history, and I’m looking forward to working with The White House Historical Association, and getting to know the community at American University and exploring how public history can be part of the work around diversity and inclusion at the university,” Owens said.
