The John & Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation Hosts Good Trouble Gala May 29th in Atlanta
Honoring NMAAHC Founding Director Lonnie G. Bunch, III, and Television Pioneer Billye Suber Aaron– Event will be Held for the First Time in Lewis’ Hometown
ATLANTA (May 7, 2025)—The John and Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation will host its 2025 Good Trouble Gala Thursday, May 29, 2025, at Flourish in Atlanta–marking the first time the gala will be held in the city that was not only Congressman Lewis’ home, but the heart of his lifelong work for civil rights and human dignity.
This year’s honorees embody the legacy of both John and Lillian Miles Lewis. The John Lewis Carry On Award will be presented to Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III, founding director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture and 14th Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. The Lillian Miles Lewis Luminary Award will be presented to Billye Suber Aaron, a pioneering television host, philanthropist, civic leader, and co-founder of the Chasing the Dream Foundation.
The evening will also bring together leaders, changemakers, and advocates to celebrate the life and legacy of Congressman John Lewis and the enduring values he championed: justice, equity, and the power of Good Trouble. Winners of the Good Troublemaker Neighborhood Grants and Scholarships will also be announced.
Honorary Chairs include former State Senator Jason Carter, Broadcast Executive Xernona Clayton, Atlanta Mayor André Dickens, former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, and Ambassador Andrew Young. Gala Co-chairs include Entrepreneur and Philanthropist Arthur M. Blank, JLMLF Board Chair Michael Collins, Founder and CEO of Paramount Consulting Group Tharon Johnson, John and Lillian Miles Lewis’ son John-Miles Lewis, and President and CEO of Southern Company Chris Womack.
“What Congressman Lewis did best was bring people together around a common cause. The Good Trouble Gala is not just a fundraiser; it’s a powerful testament to the enduring commitment to the principles and values that he championed,” said Detria Austin Everson, CEO of the Foundation. “The incredible support for this gala and our organization demonstrates that the desire to continue his and Lillian Miles Lewis’ work is as strong as ever. Together, we are forging ahead to ensure that their legacy of justice, equality, and democracy lives on,” she added.
The John and Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation, founded by Congressman Lewis prior to his passing in 2020, is dedicated to preserving and advancing the causes he and Mrs. Lewis held dear—civic engagement, education, and the unwavering belief in the power of community. All funds raised by the gala will support the Foundation’s plans to implement the Good Trouble Training program, creation of a virtual Lewis Center for education and research, the Good Troublemaker Neighborhood Grants and Scholarships, and continue to grow the organization’s community impact.
Sponsorship packages and ticket information is available at jlmlf.org/gala or by emailing info@JLMLF.com.
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ABOUT LONNIE BUNCH
Lonnie G. Bunch III is the 14th Secretary of the Smithsonian. He assumed his position June 16, 2019. As Secretary, he oversees 21 museums, 21 libraries, the National Zoo, numerous research centers, and several education units and centers. Two new museums—the National Museum of the American Latino and the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum—are in development. Bunch was the founding director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. Bunch chronicled the creation of the museum in his book, A Fool’s Errand: Building the National Museum of African American History and Culture in the Age of Bush, Obama and Trump, and is the first historian to be Secretary of the Institution. In 2021, he received France’s highest award, The Legion of Honor.
ABOUT BILLYE SUBER AARON
Mrs. Billye Suber Aaron was a host of WSB-TV’s “Today in Georgia,” becoming in 1968 the first Black woman in the Southeast to host a daily talk show. She taught English at Morehouse, Spelman College, South Carolina State, Morris Brown College and the Atlanta Public Schools. In 1980, she served as the development director for the Atlanta branch of the United Negro College Fund. Throughout her fourteen-year tenure with the organization, she co-hosted the annual telethon, ‘Lou Rawls Parade of Stars,’ co-founded the Mayor’s MASKED Ball and became the second woman in the organization to serve as vice president of the southern region. After retiring in 1994, she and her husband started the Hank Aaron Chasing the Dream Foundation to award scholarships to assist the education of low-income children. She was also active in the NAACP and served for 45 years as a national director of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
ABOUT THE FOUNDATION
The John and Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation (JLMLF), was conceived by Congressman Lewis to carry on his and his wife’s passion for purposeful living, civic engagement and building the “beloved community,” and to inspire and support Good Trouble.
For more information about the John and Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation, please visit jlmf.org.
The John and Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation Board includes Michael E. Collins (Chair); Stephen L. McDaniel (Secretary);J. Veronica Biggins, Sherry Z. Frank; Tharon Johnson;, and Rodney E. Slater. Detria Austin Everson is an ex officio member of the Board.
CONTACTS:
For Interviews and Gala-related Information
Sunshine Sachs Morgan & Lylis | GoodTroubleGalaATL@ssmandl.com
For General Information about JLMLF
Neil Parekh, Digimentors | neil@digimentors.group
As a nation, if we care for the Beloved Community, we must move our feet, our hands, our hearts, our resources to build and not tear down, to reconcile and not to divide, to love and not to hate.