Paul M. Gaston

Paul Gaston is Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Virginia. Gaston is well known in the Charlottesville community for his civil rights activism in the 1960s. After moving to Charlottesville in 1957, Gaston became deeply involved in the Civil Rights Movement and participated in many rallies and protests, including the 1963 sit-ins at Buddy’s Restaurant, which ultimately played a critical role in spurring desegregation of the region. He has received many awards and honors, including the Arabella Carter Award for Community Service and the Legendary Civil Rights Activist Award from the Charlottesville-Albemarle branch of the NAACP. Gaston has published many books and essays, including his acclaimed memoir, Coming of Age in Utopia: The Odyssey of an Idea (2010).

Gaston gave a guest lecture entitled “Civil Rights Movement in Charlottesville.” To find a listing of all our Occasional Lectures, click here.