Acknowledgement of Importance
This motel is considered vital because of the story that happened there.
In addition to being an important black business, his motel was used as the headquarters of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and the Alabama Christian Human Rights Movement (ACMHR) at the height of the Birmingham Civil Rights Movement. Room 30 of the motel became the famous "War Room," which was the place where Martin Luther King and others met to make strategies and plans for "Project C," the 1963 campaign of protests.
This motel records the history of black entrepreneurship during the segregation period. Arthur George Gaston, Birmingham's first African-American millionaire, was a pioneering entrepreneur who established multiple businesses during the segregation period. The dual themes of civil rights and entrepreneurship demonstrate the important connection between political activity and economic justice.
Policies and Management
In 2017, the 0.23-acre portion of the Gaston Motel lot was transferred to the National Park Service (NPS). Today, A.G. Gaston Motel is jointly owned by NPS and the City of Birmingham. The designation of the national park has brought federal funding and technical support. The city and the National Park Service signed a framework agreement that roughly determined the financial matters, as well as the division of labor for restoration and management. The two parties established a joint management team to better complete the work. But the complexity of ownership definitely brought a lot more uncertainty to the project. Integrating into the larger context of the Birmingham Civil rights National monument, the motel can tell a more complete story.
Sewell, the Congresswoman said, “the historic preservation efforts in Birmingham will be enhanced, greater economic revitalization will occur, and it will forever cement the pivotal role Birmingham played in the Civil Rights Movement.”
New Use and Storytelling
However, it still remains unclear what future programs are in the motel, it will serve as a visitors’ center as well as a place for meetings and more though.
“The A. G. Gaston Motel serves to preserve and confront a period in United States history where racial terror was accepted by state instrumentalities and institutions. It helps us examine how the legacy of racial segregation permeates through society today,’’ said Gilmore, senior director of the City of Birmingham’s Office of Social Justice and Racial Equality. “Now that the motel is getting new life, we envision the motel to be a place of reflection, restoration, and renewal.’’
In addition to its role in the civil rights movement, the motel was also a social gathering place for dinners, wedding receptions, and celebrity performances. The City of Birmingham collected people’s stories and photos of the motel as well. How will this site tell the story of African-American’s fight for civil rights? How will this history be incorporated with all other memories of the site and the city?
Broader
And, last, this is a typical example of sites that are widely acknowledged. And is good to learn how the motel gets preserved and good to see that people are trying to preserve these African-American stories. But it also occurs to me that, most of the resources go to these large and important sites while other comparatively small and unimportant sites get deliberately ignored. Allocating money between these kinds of commercialized African-American sites and those community sites would be an interesting thing to think about.
And also, preservation is just one part of storytelling. Preservation is a method but not a goal. Just like every other heritage site, it’s important to use it to tell people why this history should be preserved.
