There certainly is value in reading about history. But nothing quite compares to being able to see and experience it up close.
That is what University of Alabama at Birmingham alumna Traci Jones is able to provide as Park Ranger for the A.G. Gaston Motel, located within Birmingham’s Civil Rights District. Jones, who graduated with a degree in African American Studies in 2016, offers an informative look into the past through her role with the historic site.
“The Civil Rights Movement is embedded in Birmingham’s DNA, and the A.G. Gaston Motel is the centerpiece of that,” said Jones. “Whether it’s a local school group or the National Association of Black Journalists, I am the person you engage with not just to share the history of this place, but to protect it and commemorate the legacy of A.G. Gaston.”
Opened in 1954 by prominent African American businessman Arthur George Gaston, the motel provided quality lodging and dining to Black travelers during segregation. In the spring of 1963, civil rights leaders Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Ralph Abernathy, and Fred Shuttlesworth spent several weeks at the motel discussing ways to try to help desegregate the city.
After being vacant for more than 20 years, the motel was renovated to recreate the way it looked in 1963. The site opened to the public in 2023 as a federally recognized Civil Rights National Monument, and Jones—who had been working as programs manager for the Alabama African American Civil Rights Heritage Sites Consortium—was named Park Ranger.
“Being here allows us to put ourselves in the actual space where leaders stood,” Jones said. “History is relative and can be up to interpretation. But you can’t change the fact that Dr. King stood in this courtyard. We can show you the room where he stayed. That’s something you can’t erase.”
Jones grew up in Bessemer and was a member of the A.G. Gaston Boys & Girls Club. Later, as a student at Ramsay High School, Jones says several of her teachers had connections to the Civil Rights Movement. All of which sparked her interest in Birmingham’s history.
Jones’ husband is a UAB graduate who majored in criminal justice. He introduced her to one of his former professors, Kathryn Morgan, Ph.D., who serves as director of the African American Studies program. That meeting convinced Jones to pursue a degree in the program.
“My husband knew where my heart was,” said Jones. “That degree opened so many doors for me, because the major is so broad. Every class I took in that major led to a rediscovery of not just Black history, but the history of Alabama and America. I was so proud to study that focus. Basically, I was studying how to serve my community. It was a pathway that prepared and led me to the Civil Rights District.”
Jones maintains a close connection with UAB by offering internships at the A.G. Gaston Motel for current UAB history majors.
“Traci has been great in providing opportunities for students to work on community engagement and education programming, and pursue research projects in providing ideas for exhibits,” said Britney Murphy, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of History. “But she goes above and beyond the traditional internship sponsor. She hosts field trips for our students and has spoken to my class about how to find different career paths and make themselves more employable.”
To Jones, it is a way for her to give back to the Birmingham community, carrying on the tradition established seven decades ago by people such as A.G. Gaston.
“In my time at UAB and now the A.G. Gaston Motel, I’ve embraced the opportunity to connect as a community to uplift each other,” Jones said. “It is my honor to help protect this place.”
