David Owings
David Owings serves as university archivist for Columbus State University in the Simon Schwob Library. In addition to his duties at CSU, David is actively engaged in the public history profession. He currently serves on the executive board of the Georgia Association of Historians as well as the editorial board for Muscogiana: Journal of the Muscogee Genealogical Society. He is a member of several round tables of the Society of American Archivists including Archives Management, College & University Archives, Museum Archives, and Records Management. He is also currently serving on the Scholarship Committee for the Society of Georgia Archivists.
David holds a BA in History from Columbus State University as well as an MA in History with specialization in archival and museum studies from Auburn University. Prior to coming to CSU he served as archivist at the Alabama Labor Archives in Montgomery, Alabama. His research interests include the World War II era, the experiences of prisoners of war, and memory studies, specifically the role archives, museums, and similar institutions play in the construction of memory. His most recent publication, Columbus, is a pictorial history of Columbus, Georgia, that chronicles the city’s past through vintage images.
Dear David. My husband and I recently visited Columbus for a weekend getaway and I read your book which was on the bookshelf at our hotel. I gained a lot from your introduction and the subsequent pages of the book but was pretty surprised by the lack of acknowledgement about Columbus’ history with slavery and civil rights. Surely a town with so many cotton mills must’ve gained significant benefit from the free labor of slaves. Columbus is a lovely town but it does seem like any mention of the misdeeds of its past have been washed away. This was even apparent when we spent several hours at the National Infantry Museum – which is an amazing place. They had a brief set of plaques called before Ft Benning which spoke about the cotton farmers who “worked the land”. In all of that history the word slave was mentioned only once. Why is it that the historians entrusted with the telling of Columbus’ history are choosing to skirt this important and foundational aspect of how Columbus grew and became such an industrial powerhouse?
Maybe I’m missing some other texts so would appreciate your perspective on this.
Sincerely
Alison LeBreton
Everyone knows about the evils of slavery. However, every book doesn’t have to be about slavery. In this book, the text is based on the photographs. In this context, a discussion of slavery would seem forced and inappropriate. There are many books and web sites from which you can learn about slavery in Columbus. If that is your area of interest, consider planning a trip for that purpose: https://www.36hoursincolumbus.com/if-you-want-to-discover-the-varied-rich-black-heritage/
David, just give me a call when you would like to come get the boxes of history we looked at a couple of weeks ago. It’s amazing things I am learning since all of this started and the family is excited about it being in the Archives!!! Thank you so much!!!!!