The motel offered first-class dining and lodging to African American travelers upon opening in 1954. The restored coffee shop within the motel. Courtesy of The Historical Preservation Authority of the City of Birmingham 

A wood paneled hotel lobby with padded benches positioned against the wall and a window that brightens the area with sunlight.

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stands on a balcony at the A.G. Gaston Motel. The motel was a locus of the civil rights movement. Photo: Marion Trikosko, courtesy the Library of Congress 

Martin Luther King Jr. stands on a balcony overlooking a city street with cars

Birmingham Alabamas’s A.G. Gaston Motel serves as an important reminder of the de jure era of segregation in the United States.

Restoring the Historic A. G. Gaston Motel - The Community Gathering Place

Built by Arthur George Gaston, the A.G. Gaston Motel welcomed travelers and also became a site of change and advancements of civil rights for all Americans. Courtesy of The Historical Preservation Authority of the City of Birmingham

A vintage gas motel sign featuring a bright neon display that reads "A.G. Gas Motel" against a night sky backdrop.

Reviving a Historic Site in Alabama’s Fight for Racial Justice

Artists as Catalysts

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Beyond Incarceration

A side profile of a Black poet who is wearing glasses and a hat with a feather hat pin.

Civic Engagement

A man in a brown jacket stands in front of blue bulletin board that is covered with papers and advertisements  

Evolving Higher Education

A vertical image of an Indigenous person who is sitting on a chair in front of a backdrop.

Expanding Public Knowledge

An interior room filled with audio and video equipment 

Monuments and Memory

A multicolored painted totem pole set in front of a foggy forest landscape

Multivocality

Five people stand together in a group photo. They are laughing and smiling.

Power of the Word

Five colorful neon signs hang on the wall with messages that include, "Freedom cannot wait," "Brown owned," and "America is for Dreamers."

Public Places‚ Public Stories

A group of Indigenous Maskoke people stand and sit in the wooden frame of a structure in a woods

Puerto Rico and Its Diaspora

In a vertical image, a black leather vest is adorned with colorful pins across the front of it. Embroidery on the vest reads: "Felícitas "La Prieta" Méndez" 

University Everywhere

Students walk through the campus of the University of Hawaii

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Mission

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History

Grantmaking areas

Grantmaking Areas

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People

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Financials

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News

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Events