John and Lillian Miles Lewis Good Trouble Gala
Remarks as delivered
Delivered on Tuesday, June 2, 2026
Maryland First Lady Dawn Moore received the Lillian Miles Lewis Luminary Award at the 2026 John and Lillian Miles Lewis Good Trouble Gala. The award was presented to the First Lady by Governor Wes Moore.
GOVERNOR WES MOORE:
Good evening. What a beautiful crowd. I am so excited to be here with each and every one of you.
First, I want to say thank you to the John and Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation for continuing to hold the light high for each and every one of us. For providing the shade that all of us enjoy. For reminding us that it is our responsibility to continue to water those trees to make sure that they can grow for everybody else.
We know we are here surrounded by giants. I am grateful to have a chance to be here and to witness the recipient of the Carry On Award, my friend Congressman Clyburn. We are very thankful for you and everything you do for all the people who are causing so much good trouble.
I have the honor of being able to introduce the love of my life and Maryland's First Lady, Dawn Moore.
I say I have the easiest and the hardest job tonight. The easiest because I get to talk about the person who I admire most in this world. And also the easiest because I get to speak in front of her.
The hardest because I was only given three minutes to talk about someone who I will spend the rest of my life doting on.
Someone who I know makes me better every single day.
I am very clear with the people of the state of Maryland that I'm honored to be the 63rd governor.
But I am very clear where my strength comes from.
I am very clear who woke me up this morning. I am very clear who will put me to bed tonight. I am very clear who orders my steps. I am very clear who guides my words. I am very clear that there is a King of Kings and a Lord of Lords.
And also I know the Book that I follow.
And I know in the Book that I follow, in Proverbs 18, it says, "He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains the favor of the Lord."
That's something that John Lewis knew very well. That is something that John Lewis knew and felt every single day because he knew who was not just the wind beneath his wings, but who was the destination that he always strived to seek. He knew something that I learned, as Proverbs 18 says, how powerful it was to stand there with someone who every single day makes you better.
He understood, not just as Proverbs says, but as Jay-Z said, how powerful it is to have “the hottest chick in the game wearing your chain.”
That it makes you unstoppable.
I remember just a few months back when I had the honor of walking with Dawn across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. We got a chance to take the journey that we all knew that John Lewis and so many others took on our behalf.
Despite knowing what was on the other side of that bridge, he knew that the pain that was waiting for him on the other side of the bridge was still worth taking if it meant the glory that he would help to foresee for people on the other side of town.
And I remember taking that walk with Dawn.
My mother always used to say that if you never forget who you are fighting for, you will never stop fighting.
And I know I have heard Dawn say, and if you never forget who fought for you, you will never stop fighting.
If you never forget the shoulders that you are standing on, if you never forget what they fought for, you will never stop fighting.
And that is why I remember Dawn and I talking about this moment, when we were watching the things that John Lewis gave his life to being broken.
When we were watching things like basic voting rights being violated.
And I know as we talked about on that walk and on that journey, she reminded me then – as she reminds me now – we cannot simply honor the man if we are not willing to defend his work. We know what he had to endure to give us the right to vote.
So the question becomes, what are we willing to endure to keep it when we are watching it taken away from us?
The ability for us to be able to know that when these atrocities are happening, we will not sit on our hands. We will stand on our feet.
And know that we will stand firm – and I say this not just as the governor of Maryland, but I say this also as someone who believes deeply that we can, we will, and we should fight for democracy no matter what it takes.
To make sure that the blessings that we inherited are the same blessings that we will be able to pass off to a next generation.
That is what John Lewis fought for. And why I am also thankful for the leadership of the members of the CBC and the African American Mayors who have made it very clear: not on our watch.
I think about the work of Lillian Miles Lewis – a person who was not just an inspiration to John – but a person who was an educator, a librarian, and an advocate for justice.
When John Lewis was speaking, he was never just speaking for himself. He had a chorus and an orchestra in his own household that made it very clear that they would not back down, no matter the obstacles that were standing in front of them.
That is exactly how I feel every single day in the advocacy that we have for the people of Maryland because I know who my battle buddy is. I know that I have the honor of being married to somebody who never forgets the shoulders that she stands on. She is the daughter of a public school teacher.
She is the daughter of a union operating engineer and the granddaughter of a former Army diver who is also an operating engineer. She tells the story that her grandfather helped to build the World Trade Center and her father helped to clear it.
This is a woman who was raised to show up and to fight for others. My wife is a woman who was a substitute teacher in Baltimore and a chief of staff in the Maryland State House. She has worked across government – building bridges and making connections – to make sure that every single Marylander is seen and that no Marylander is left behind.
This is a woman who devotes her time to being a public servant – and devotes her time as First Lady to support and strengthen military families.
Who testified this year for safety for Maryland's children and to make sure that our children were going to be protected inside of their classrooms.
And their educators did not have to compete with Facebook or TikTok for the attention or the minds of our children.
She has worked to put books in the hands of Maryland children.
And we worked together to make sure that those books that were being put in the hands of Maryland's children were not being banned or being put to the side by individuals who were trying to tell us whose history mattered and whose history did not.
Through her initiative, #ReadMoreMaryland, she has championed the work that now ranks Maryland third in the nation for student growth in reading since the onset of COVID-19.
She is someone who leads with grace, who leads with humility, who leads with faith, who leads with God's love, and she looks really good doing it.
She is someone who I love with all my heart. She is someone who every single day reminds me that God loves me because she said yes.
And when I think about the work and the legacy of Lillian Miles Lewis – not just what she meant to John, not just what she meant to this family, but what she meant to humanity – I am so proud. I am so proud that I now get to present an award in her name to the woman I am thankful shares my last name.
For nearly 20 years, Dawn has been the compass of my life and the foundation of our family. And now tonight, I am proud that she is the most recent recipient of the Lillian Miles Lewis Luminary Award.
Will we please give a rousing round of applause for my greatest protector, for the love of my life, for Maryland's remarkable First Lady, and tonight's award recipient, Dawn Moore!
FIRST LADY DAWN MOORE:
Thank you.
I am breathless about this moment.
To my husband, I thank you so much for that beautiful introduction.
Maybe you took four of my minutes, but okay.
Not only is he the 63rd Governor of the State of Maryland and the only sitting Black governor in this country.
But he is Mia and James’ daddy, and the love of my life.
Thank you, Wes.
I love you so much, and you are my north star for service and action.
I'd like to thank the John and Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation for this honor.
I really don't know what I did to be so deserving to be before you this evening.
I want to also acknowledge my fellow honoree Congressman Clyburn – a trailblazer, a fierce leader and friend, and the three-quarter zip OG.
Congratulations on your well-deserved honor.
Tonight is so special for me.
I was raised by a family of civil servants, as my husband shared, who believed in lifting and uplifting their communities through service, education, and creative expression.
My mother was a school teacher and a singer.
My grandfather served in the United States Army and would go on to become a crane operator, as Wes shared.
And my father would also follow in his footsteps as his son-in-law.
And I am honored to share that my grandfather would help to put up the World Trade, and my father would help to clear it.
Growing up in Queens, my fondest memories always included enjoying the arts and engaging in service.
I remember listening to my mother sing and my father play the drums in their local band.
I loved walking into the polls with my parents on Election Day and listening to my dad talk about his union meetings.
I can still hear my grandfather's voice as he shared stories about his military service.
And I still have the letter he wrote to one of his commanding officers advocating for the rights of Black soldiers and the recognition they deserved.
And throughout my life, I saw firsthand the infinite ways that someone can make impact happen in society.
And it was clear for me that my impact would be rooted in public service.
It's the reason I studied at the University of Maryland and spent the last three decades dedicated to pushing the state to its fullest potential in partnership with my husband.
And as I learn more about Lillian Miles Lewis, I believe that we were kindred spirits.
Sharing a belief that education and the arts can foster understanding and break down silos.
Mrs. Lewis was committed to ensuring all people had access to knowledge, culture, and opportunity.
And I am proud to carry this legacy forward.
As First Lady, my work has focused on building bigger tables and inviting all Marylanders to claim their seats around them – as we solve some of our state's biggest problems.
Together, we've increased employment opportunities for Maryland's military spouses.
We've become a national leader in early literacy by creating opportunities to help our children thrive.
And we launched the Preakness Festival to secure Maryland's horse racing future and uplift communities that have long been ignored.
And we've transformed the official residence of the First Family into an educational and cultural hub.
At the People's House, we are preserving over two centuries of Maryland's history through art and creating spaces of advocacy and discussion through cultural events.
We want to ensure that all Marylanders feel welcomed and seen, and their stories are heard and reflected on the walls.
That's why we showcase the works of such artists as the Women of Gee's Bend, David Driskell, Simmie Knox, Derrick Adams, and Alma Thomas.
One of the most important things I have learned in this work is we are not that different from each other, and neither are our challenges.
And right now, we are up against enormous challenges.
But what gives me hope is when we put our differences aside and stand united, there is nothing we can't achieve.
John Lewis' legacy is a testament to this belief.
In March, Wes and I traveled to Selma for the 61st anniversary of Bloody Sunday, as he shared.
And I marched over the Edmund Pettus Bridge with the youngest living foot soldier to my right, as Wes guided the oldest living foot soldier in front of him.
And we chanted in unison with hundreds of people and sang, "Ain't gonna let nobody turn me around."
And with each moment, we could feel the enduring spirit of those who sacrificed their lives for us to be in this room today.
Sixty-one years later, and we've made so much progress.
But the weapons are still forming against us.
And it is up to us to not allow them to prosper.
And we must continue to lead the movement.
We must continue to build the tables.
We must continue to embrace the diversity of our voices and of ideas.
And together, we will lift our people and leave no one behind.
I thank you for this very incredible and humbling honor.
And I hope you will keep getting into good trouble.
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