The Rotary Club of Birmingham Commemorates Black History Month

A.G. Gaston (1892-1996)

Since 1976, the United States has recognized February as Black History Month. The Rotary Club of Birmingham celebrates the contributions of countless African Americans who have moved our country forward in the pursuit of freedom and justice for all citizens. 

We proudly remember A.G. Gaston, who is an important part of our history, as the first Black member of the Rotary Club of Birmingham. Gaston was an important Birmingham entrepreneur and civil rights leader who attended Rotary meetings even after his 100th birthday.
Arthur George Gaston (1892-1996) was an American businessman who established a number of businesses in Birmingham and played a significant role in the struggle to integrate Birmingham in 1963. In his lifetime, Gaston's companies were some of the most prominent African American-owned businesses in the American South.

Gaston formed the Booker T. Washington Burial Insurance Company in 1923, after serving in the army and working in coal mines. He started Smith & Gaston Funeral Home with his father-in-law and established the Booker T. Washington business school with his wife. Other Gaston enterprises included Citizens Federal Savings and Loan Association and the A.G. Gaston Motel. Gaston provided funding, lodging and meeting space to civil rights leaders and often served as a negotiator. The motel was famously bombed in an attempt to assassinate Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rev. Ralph Abernathy in 1963. It was Gaston who posted bail when the pair were arrested. Gaston's house was firebombed in 1963, following a state dinner at the White House with President John F. Kennedy. Additionally, Gaston’s legacy includes the A. G. Gaston Boys & Girls Club and the A.G. Gaston Construction Company. The City of Birmingham owns the A.G. Gaston Motel, which President Barack Obama designated the center of the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument in 2017.

A.G. Gaston and R.A. Hester in the motel’s courtyard, no date (1954-1961). City of Birmingham Archives