Photo credit: Courtesy of JLF/Daniel Swartz
John Lewis would have loved it. The John and Lilian Miles Lewis Foundation threw an epic “Good Trouble” Gala – their second biennial gala bash held at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. It was a star-studded affair, an ode to the legendary civil rights powerhouse John Lewis and his partner in activism Lillian Miles Lewis. It was more than just a party; it was a rallying cry for justice, equality and the relentless pursuit of “good trouble” in a world hungry for change.
President Bill Clinton
Headlining the night was President Bill Clinton who delivered the keynote speech, followed by stirring speeches from the dynamic duo of Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock and the inspirational Rep. Nikema Williams and a heart-stopping performance by the Grammy-winning sensation, The Blind Boys of Alabama.
But the real star of the show was House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, honored with the inaugural “Carry On Award” for his unwavering dedication to the fight for justice and equality. Presented by the Foundation as a beacon of hope, a torchbearer for the legacy of John and Lillian Miles Lewis, Jeffries embodies the spirit of “good trouble” in every step he takes.
President Bill Clinton and Leader Jeffries
“Congressman John Lewis was no stranger to good trouble. He was arrested over 40 times fighting for social justice during the Civil Rights Movement and with a hugely consequential election that’s coming up in November,” said former John Lewis Chief of Staff Michael E. Collins introducing Jeffries. “What do you think Congressman Lewis would tell us all today considering what’s at stake in the state of our country? We heard from President Bill Clinton talking about restoring democracy. You talk about it a lot, but what do you think he would say right now? What do you think he would tell us in the current state of America and what would he encourage us to do more of?”
“Well, I think he would definitely encourage us to be vigilant, resilient and also hopeful,” replied Jeffries. “And of the many powerful things that one can draw from John Lewis’s heroic, iconic, legendary journey, his life, his lessons, his sacrifice, his leadership to me is the power of imagination.”
Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Tharon Johnson
“The notion that you can have this boy from Troy, as Dr. King affectionately referred to John Lewis, that this boy from Troy in the heart of the deep Jim Crow South, the racial oppression that had been a part of southern life first as a result of chattel slavery. And then that rolling right in to Jim Crow segregation and the lynching epidemic and the black codes and Plessy versus Ferguson and the beatings and the degradation, and in the midst of all of that, with no army, no access to abundant resources, no corporate interests behind them, this boy from Troy can imagine a better society, a more just society, a free society: A society where people actually can be judged by the content of their character, not simply the color of their skin. I think he’d encourage us, yes, to be vigilant, yes, to stand strong, yes to confront injustice aggressively, but also to remain hopeful. And as he would say, never give up. Never give in, show up, speak up, stand up, get into some good trouble and good things will happen in the United States of America.”
Hosted by Dana Bash of CNN, the evening was infused with the spirit of John and Lillian Miles Lewis. Every dollar raised at the gala will fuel the Foundation’s mission to empower future generations through education, civic engagement and the unyielding pursuit of justice.
President Bill Clinton Dana Bash Leader Hakeem Jeffries
The legacy of John and Lillian Miles Lewis is alive and kicking to make some serious “good trouble”! As John Lewis famously said, “When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have to speak up. You have to say something; you have to do something.” Let’s keep the spirit of “good trouble” alive and kicking!
Event co-chairs: John-Miles Lewis, Home Depot Co-Founder Arthur M. Blank, former John Lewis Chief of Staff Michael E. Collins, Microsoft Corporate Vice President of US Government Affairs Frederick S. Humphries, Jr., Apple Vice President of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives Lisa Jackson, Paramount Consulting Group Founder and CEO Tharon Johnson, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights President Kerry Kennedy and Southern Company Chairman, President and CEO Chris Womack.
