Biography of a g gaston
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The life and legacy of A.G. Gaston: a man who quietly helped fund the Civil Rights Movement
Today is the first day of February and the first day of Black History Month, so we’re taking a look back at a powerful but not widely known figure in the Civil Rights Movement who worked behind the scenes with Martin Luther King Jr. and so many others on the economic side of the movement.
He was a Black American entrepreneur named Arthur George Gaston, also known as A.G. Gaston. He mostly shunned the spotlight and wasn’t one to march or deliver speeches at rallies. But the Alabama native and grandson of slaves wrote plenty of checks.
While King was a social activist, A.G. Gaston was an economic activist. He spent more than 70 years investing millions of dollars into the Civil Rights Movement and Black America.
“Find a need and fill it,” said Rochelle Gaston Malone, A.G. Gaston’s granddaughter.
His business strategy, she said, was rooted in the fact th
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A. G. Gaston
African-American civil rights leader (1892–1996)
A. G. Gaston | |
|---|---|
| Born | Arthur George Gaston July 4, 1892 Demopolis, Alabama, U.S. |
| Died | January 19, 1996(1996-01-19) (aged 103) Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur |
| Relatives | Carol Jenkins (niece) |
Arthur George Gaston (July 4, 1892 – January 19, 1996) was an American entrepreneur who established businesses in Birmingham, Alabama. He had a significant role in the movement to remove legal barriers to integration in Birmingham in 1963. In his lifetime, Gaston's companies were some of the most prominent African-American businesses in the American South.
Early life
[edit]The grandson of an enslaved person,[1] A.G. Gaston was born on July 4, 1892, in Demopolis, Alabama to Tom and Rosa (McDonald) Gaston.[2][3] Gaston's father died while he was still an infant.[4] He grew up in a log cabin with his mother and grandparents, Joe and
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Interview with A.G. Gaston (Video)
- Filmed interview with A.G. Gaston conducted for Eyes on the Prize. Discussion centers on the Birmingham campaign of 1963 and his efforts to reach a negotiated settlement between civil rights activists and the city government, including Bull Connor.
- Gaston, A. G. (Arthur George), 1892
- Connor, Eugene, 1897-1973
- Hanes, Art
- King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968
- Shuttlesworth, Fred L., Rev., 1922-2011
- Vann, David J.
- Birmingham (Ala.)--Race relations
- Civil rights demonstrations--Alabama--Birmingham
- Nonviolence
- Civil rights--History--20th century
- Civil rights movements--United States
- Race relations--United States
- Oral History--United States
- The original interview elements, 16mm negative and 1/4" audio reel to reel, were preserved during 2010-2016 due to the generosity of a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Thanks to a grant from the National Historical Publica