Join the UAB African American Faculty Association as we celebrate Black History and Women's History Months. Author Marie Sutton will discuss her book on the A. G. Gaston Motel, a Birmingham civil rights landmark that was a source of refuge for blacks during the Movement.

The event will be held at 4 p.m. on Monday, March 16 in Heritage Hall Building Room 524. 

Few hotels and restaurants would open their doors to minorities in the 1950s, and fewer still had accommodations above the bare minimum. But in Birmingham, black entrepreneur and eventual millionaire A. G. Gaston created a first-class motel and lounge for African Americans that became a symbol of pride of his community. It served as the headquarters for Birmingham's civil rights movement and became a revolving door for famous entertainers, activists, politicians and other pillars of the national black community. Sutton chronicles the fascinating story of the motel and how it became a refuge during a time when African Americans could find none.

Books will be available to purchase at the event, and there will be a signing after the talk. This event is free and open to faculty, staff, and students.