HIGHLIGHT: ALABAMA
Birmingham: Long vacant and in disrepair, the 65-year-old A.G. Gaston Motel is being renovated as part of the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument, established by then-President Barack Obama in 2017, long before the “Green Book” gained recognition in an Oscar-winning film. Workers are shoring up masonry and removing later additions. The motel was a haven for African American travelers who used the “Green Book” to find friendly, safe accommodations during the worst days of Jim Crow. Its guests were said to include Aretha Franklin, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Duke Ellington and Harry Belafonte.