Associate Professor, Department of History
Institution
University of Connecticut
Deirdre Cooper Owens believes she was born to be a historian. Born to Gullah/Geechee parents from South Carolina’s Low Country, she was raised around folks who told oral histories of their family members, historical events, and the enslaved. Her mother is the family’s genealogist and her father worked at the National Archives for over 30 years. It was this background in both SC and Washington, DC that nurtured her love of the past. Today, Prof. Cooper Owens is a popular public speaker, writer, and reproductive justice advocate. She has published both scholarly and popular pieces on issues that concern African American historical experiences ranging from slavery to contemporary reproductive justice.