The "Librarian in Congress," Major Robert Odell Owens was born on June 28, 1936 in Collierville, Tennessee to Ezekiel and Edna Owens. Owens attended Hamilton High School in Memphis, enrolling in Morehouse College after being awarded a Ford Foundation Scholarship. He graduated in 1956 with a B.A. in Mathematics and a minor in Education and Library Science. In 1957, he earned a M.A. in Library Science from Atlanta University (now Clark Atlanta University), followed by classes at the Alliance Française and Sorbonne in Paris.

While at Morehouse, Owens began a relationship with Professor Ethel Werfel, who he married in 1956. After returning to the United States, they moved to her hometown of Brooklyn, New York, where he worked as a Librarian at the Brooklyn Public Library's Brownsville branch, serving as Assistant Director of Languages and Literature from 1958-1964 and as the Library's Brownsville Community Coordinator from 1964-1966. It was during these years he became involved in the city's social justice movements, joining the Brooklyn chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and serving as the organization's chair from 1964-1966. He also participated on the Brooklyn Rent Strike Committee, served as vice-chairman of the Metropolitan Council on Housing and as a board member of Bedford-Stuyvesant Youth in Action.

Owens founded and served as Director of the Brownsville Community Council from 1966-1968. During that time, the Council opened five neighborhood action centers to address jobs, education and housing, founded the first federal credit union to be operated by an anti-poverty agency and operated Head Start daycare centers for more than 300 children. The Council won designation by the Council Against Poverty as Brownsville's Community Corporation in January 1967. Owens left the Council after being appointed Commissioner of the Community Development Agency by Mayor John Lindsay, but he resigned in 1973, citing ongoing corruption within the agency. After leaving the CDA, Owens joined Columbia University as an adjunct professor, teaching Library Science and as Director of the school's Community Media Program.

In 1974, Owens campaigned and was elected to the New York State Senate. He served from 1975-1982, participating on the Social Services Committee, the Finance Committee, and as a member of the chamber's daycare task force. In 1982, Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm announced her retirement, leaving a vacant seat in the city's 12th district, which included the neighborhoods of Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brownsville, and Crown Heights. Owens campaigned against former New York State Senator Vander L. Beatty in the primary, securing a victory and winning the election against Republican David Katan with 91% of the vote. In his first Congressional term he was assigned to the Government Operations Committee and Education and Labor Committee. He also joined the Congressional Black Caucus, eventually serving as chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus Higher Education Brain Trust, Taskforce on Haiti, and Alternative Budgets for the fiscal years 1986-2004.

In 1985, Owens founded the Central Brooklyn Martin Luther King Commission. This volunteer led organization is still in operation, holding annual "Living the Dream" essay, poetry and art contests for Brooklyn's elementary, middle and high school students focusing on the life and work of Dr. King. The Commission also holds monthly meetings open to the community, holds college prep workshops, participates in campaigns to secure better school funding and sponsored the Clara Barton Bill of Rights Debate Team. The "Education Congressman" also spent 1985 writing portions of Title IIIB, a higher education bill that provided $100 million to improve the programs and the infrastructure of historically Black colleges. Owens and Ethel Werfel also divorced in September of 1985. He married Maria Cuprill in May 1988.

Owens became chair of the Education and Labor Subcommittee on Select Education and Civil Rights in 1987, a post he would hold until 1994. He oversaw programs to assist in the high school dropout crisis in the inner cities and fought to restore federal funding to libraries. In addition to jobs and education, Owens fought for the rights of Americans with disabilities. Working closely with activist Justin Dart Jr., he served as primary backer and floor manager of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. This landmark legislation provided guidelines prohibiting discrimination against disabled persons and provided access guidelines for public buildings.

The 1990 census forced a redrawing of Brooklyn's congressional districts. Owens' constituency was now the 11th district, and included the neighborhoods of Park Slope and Kensington. It was also the second largest Haitian community in the United States, which often found itself at odds with Owens. Hatian constituents accused him of being out of touch with the local community, citing his vocal support of former Haitian President Jean–Bertrand Aristide. In 2000, he was challenged in the primary by Jamacian born Una Clarke. Relying on support of prominent Democrats, including Hillary Clinton, he won the primary with a 54 to 46 percent margin. Owens announced plans to seek a final reelection in 2004 and retire in 2007. His 2004 primary was met with challenges from New York City council members Tracy Boyland and Yvette Clarke, daughter of his 2000 primary opponent Una Clarke. He won the primary with 45% of the vote. During his final term, Owens' son Chris campaigned for his father's seat, but lost to Yvette Clarke.

Owens' retirement from Congress was followed by his selection as a distinguished visiting scholar at the John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress. This opportunity provided a stipend and access to the Library's collections to complete a research project of his choosing. He selected a short history of the Congressional Black Caucus, including a look at key legislation, relationships, and Owens' own suggestion for the future of the Caucus. His work resulted in the 2011 publication of The Peacock Elite: A Subjective Case Study of the Congressional Black Caucus and Its Impact on National Politics.

In addition to being a politician and community activist, Owens considered himself a writer, and saw retirement as an opportunity to continue work on his novels and plays. His longest project, Roots and Wings, is loosely based on Owens' college experience, taking place at a southern college during the civil rights movement. Completed in 1963, he was working to revise the novel up until his death. Other notable works include Thomas and Sally, a play about the relationship between Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings; The Viagra Monologues, a play that uses rap lyrics to talk about sexual experience from the male point of view; and The Taliban in Harlem, a 2005 unpublished novel about a militant style church brainwashing it's followers.

In addition to novels and plays, Owens wrote and performed raps, which he called "rap poems" or "egghead raps." His lyrics appeared in the Congressional Record and were performed on the House floor, covering a variety of topics including poverty, anti-war protests, racism, and criticism of his political rivals. Lyrics like "Make culture not war! Be loud about our love, Put passion in your dove; Shoot your best shot! Trivial sparks make profound fires.." earned him the nickname "Rappin Rep." He also wrote many non-political lyrics, including Zodiac Raps, a series of raps inspired by the signs of the Zodiac.

Owens also used his retirement to return to teaching, bringing his 50 years of experience to the DuBois-Bunch Policy Center at Medgar Evers College, with classes in nonprofit administration, designing local programs, and social policy agenda. He also served as faculty advisor on the Bedford-Union Armory project, continuing to teach as his health declined. Major Owens died of heart failure on October 21, 2013 in New York City.