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Regular Session, 2011 ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 78
BY SENATOR BROOME
A RESOLUTION
To commend Toni Hawkins-Bailey, Renee Chatelain, and Greg Williams, Jr., for their
contributions to the performing arts in the African American community.
WHEREAS, individual contributions can achieve a synergy, which Aristotle
articulated when he said, "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts"; and
WHEREAS, the African American community has been the beneficiary of just such
a cumulative effect; a trio of arts supporters working independently has produced results that
extend beyond the boundaries of their individual spheres of influence, enhancing the
knowledge, participation, and enjoyment of the performing arts; and
WHEREAS, in 1995 at the age of 12, Baton Rouge native Greg Williams, Jr.,
recognizing an opportunity in his community, began incorporating acting skills into his
tutoring sessions at the Dr. Martin Luther King Community Center; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Williams grew to understand how the arts could contribute to the
quality of life of the families of the children he tutored, and began directing plays featuring
those children at the center at age 13; and
WHEREAS, in 1997, under the direction of councilman W.T. Winfield, Elliott C.
Baham and Mr. Williams started the Eden Park Theatre and agreed to run it at the center;
and
WHEREAS, at the age of 16, Mr. Williams agreed to direct the play "Pollyanna"
with a cast of over seventy-five African Americans, successfully demonstrating the thirst for
an organization promoting artistic diversity in the city of Baton Rouge; and
WHEREAS, in 2000 Eden Park Theatre was renamed The Creative Company of
Louisiana; the organization continued to promote diversity through the arts on an increasing
scale, later becoming New Venture Theatre, where Mr. Williams has worked with over 500 SR NO. 78 ENROLLED
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actors of all races, social classes, and backgrounds, and has partnered with local minority
organizations, teachers, and churches, helping them incorporate artistic programming into
the services they provide; and
WHEREAS, Baton Rouge native Renee Chatelain's love for professional ballet and
dance instruction evolved into a charitable mission to share the art of movement, as her
passion for the arts drove her to seek out children in the inner city to participate in her
productions; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Chatelain's experience volunteering to hold dance classes at Dr.
Leo S. Butler Community Center led her and a partner to form the Mid City Dance Project
in which hundreds of students have participated over the years; and
WHEREAS, with funding from multiple sponsors including the Arts Council of
Greater Baton Rouge, Ms. Chatelain traveled with members of the Mid City Dance Project
troupe to Austria; and
WHEREAS, through her efforts to bring the experience of the world of dance to
under-served youths, she became Executive Director of the Manship Theatre at the Shaw
Center for the Arts and a co-founder of the Dance Center, Inc., and Mid City Dance Project,
Inc.; and
WHEREAS, Toni Hawkins-Bailey is a true community servant, faithfully
volunteering and holding leadership positions in numerous organizations throughout the
greater Baton Rouge area, including the Advisory Board for the YWCA Center of Family
Empowerment, the Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children, and the Baton Rouge
Association of Gifted and Talented Students, for which she serves as vice president of
programs; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Hawkins-Bailey works to help students realize their potential, use
their strengths to help others, and obtain scholarships through participation in the arts
through her involvement with DeFrances Academy of Dance, Merry Melodies Piano Studio,
and New Venture Theatre; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Hawkins-Bailey, in her capacity as director of the Auxiliary Board
and Community Outreach for New Venture Theater, has been instrumental in assisting with
recruitment, advertisement, and fund-raising for that organization; and SR NO. 78 ENROLLED
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WHEREAS, these three individuals have freely invested their time and talent in the
arts, returning a bountiful harvest that will continue to grow and feed the spirit of the African
American community, and indeed all people of the greater Baton Rouge area, through the
arts, enriching countless lives for the foreseeable future.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby offer its sincerest appreciation and commendations to Toni Hawkins-Bailey,
Renee Chatelain, and Greg Williams, Jr., for their numerous contributions to the performing
arts in the African American community and offers its best wishes for continued success.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this Resolution be transmitted to Toni
Hawkins-Bailey, Renee Chatelain, and Greg Williams, Jr.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE