Spotlight
Melyssa Laureano
DC Preservation League
More about Melyssa
As the DC Preservation Leagues' Programs Associate, I administer the bulk of the organization's educational programming and serve as staff lead for DCPL’s Education Committee and collaborates with committee volunteers to organize educational activities about historic preservation in DC. These programs include tours of historic sites, workshops, and lectures. I also manages DCPL’s social media presence across a variety of platforms.
My favorite part of my AU Public History experience was… Being able to learn and grow professionally as a public historian with colleagues in my cohort. We learned from our professors, but also one another. This was especially true during our practicum, where we worked in groups to create community projects and exhibits using the Humanities Truck.
Mia Owens
MA, Public History, '22
More about Mia
As a public historian, I wanted my work with the fellowship to provide not only information, but also materials for the community to continue learning about and engaging in conversation with AU's history and legacy in relation to slavery. Through the subject guide, I hope that students, faculty, and staff at AU can build upon the working group's preliminary findings to expand our understanding of AU history and connections to slavery and settler colonialism.
Mia Owens has left behind an important legacy at American University: a virtual subject guide, Influence of Slavery on American University, which students and researchers can use to learn about the historical influences of slavery on the AU campus and throughout the metropolitan area.
Mia was the inaugural Public History Fellow in the History of Slavery and Its Legacies in Washington, DC, a two-year graduate fellowship created through a partnership between AU’s Antiracist Research and Policy Center, the Master of Arts in Public History Program, and the White House Historical Association. During her fellowship, she spent two years conducting research for projects related to the history of enslaved people in the nation’s capital. Her work resulted in a series of articles that promote a deeper understanding of slavery in DC, as well as the subject guide, which will give future researchers the tools to build upon her work.
Mia is currently working as a research intern at the Smithsonian Institution’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage and as a research associate with the 1882 Foundation, focusing on local Chinese American history and historic resources.
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