If anyone personified the saying "standing on business," it was A.G. Gaston.Birmingham's first Black millionaire used his entrepreneurial spirit for change in the Magic City."I've been nice to everybody, I've treated folks like I wanted them to treat me. And it has paid off. Because it has come back to me," Gaston said in an interview before he died.>> Lift every voice and sing with our full special about the unsung heroes of Black history.Born in Demopolis, Gaston graduated from the Tuggle Institute in Birmingham, now known as Tuggle Elementary School. He then founded the Booker T. Washington Insurance Company, which would later help build a $30 million business empire in the city, a couple of which are still operational today.Gaston was not initially involved in the Civil Rights Movement, but chose to join after demonstrations grew violent. His home and hotel were bombed by segregationists after he bailed Martin Luther King Jr. out of jail in 1963.Gaston even joined King on a trip to meet with President John F. Kennedy, urging a federal response to the deadly bombing of 16th Street Baptist Church.Below: 米兰体育 13 team coverage remembering 60 years after 16th Street Baptist Church bombingThe Gaston Motel was restored and reopened in late 2022 with an exhibit to honor its owner. It is now a part of the Civil Rights National Monument, which is a collaborative partnership between the National Parks Service and Birmingham.Gaston continued impacting the Magic City until his death in 1996 at the age of 103.Throughout Black History Month, 米兰体育 13 is also recognizing and honoring the legacy of Alabamians who broke barriers outside of the music industry.Can't see the interactive infographic above? Click here.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — If anyone personified the saying "standing on business," it was A.G. Gaston.
Birmingham's first Black millionaire used his entrepreneurial spirit for change in the Magic City.
"I've been nice to everybody, I've treated folks like I wanted them to treat me. And it has paid off. Because it has come back to me," Gaston said in an interview before he died.
>> Lift every voice and sing with our full special about the unsung heroes of Black history.
Born in Demopolis, Gaston graduated from the Tuggle Institute in Birmingham, now known as Tuggle Elementary School. He then founded the Booker T. Washington Insurance Company, which would later help build a $30 million business empire in the city, a couple of which are still operational today.
Gaston was not initially involved in the Civil Rights Movement, but chose to join after demonstrations grew violent. His home and hotel were bombed by segregationists after he bailed Martin Luther King Jr. out of jail in 1963.
Carol M. Highsmith, February 28, 2010, Library of Congress
Bomb-damaged trailers at the Gaston Motel, Birmingham, Alabama.
Gaston even joined King on a trip to meet with President John F. Kennedy, urging a federal response to the deadly bombing of 16th Street Baptist Church.
Below: 米兰体育 13 team coverage remembering 60 years after 16th Street Baptist Church bombing
was restored and reopened in late 2022 with an exhibit to honor its owner. It is now a part of the Civil Rights National Monument, which is a collaborative partnership between the National Parks Service and Birmingham.
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A.G. Gaston Motel, Birmingham, Alabama (Photo by Carol M. Highsmith/Buyenlarge/Getty Images)
Gaston continued impacting the Magic City until his death in 1996 at the age of 103.
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Throughout Black History Month, 米兰体育 13 is also recognizing and honoring the legacy of Alabamians who broke barriers outside of the music industry.
Can't see the interactive infographic above? Click here.
