When we couldn't, he didn't jam us, he said in an interview from his Atlanta office. Lowery and others active in the civil rights struggle in Birmingham said Gaston's efforts during that time were often misunderstood and criticized. Some even called him an Uncle Tom because he was not in the forefront of the movement, or more outspoken against segregation. Everyone has a role to play. His role was a supportive role, Lowery said.
Some people have to beat the drum, while others marched.
He had a vital role and a leadership role. Gaston defended his actions in his book, Green Power. It disturbed me that my people could so mistake my motives. I was not condoning the white people in their treatment of Negroes. Neither was I acting out of fear of them.