SLS 22RS-1241 ORIGINAL
2022 Regular Session
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 25
BY SENATOR BOUDREAUX
COMMENDATIONS. Commends and congratulates Rebecca Davis Henry upon her
induction into the St. Landry Parish Democratic Party Hall of Fame.
1 A RESOLUTION
2 To commend and congratulate Rebecca Davis Henry upon her induction into the St. Landry
3 Parish Democratic Party Hall of Fame.
4 WHEREAS, Rebecca Davis was born in Leonville, Louisiana, graduated from
5 George Washington Carver High School in Sunset, Louisiana, and attended Bankstreet
6 College in Washington, D.C. and Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and
7 WHEREAS, a sharecropper's daughter, Rebecca grew up in the countryside around
8 Opelousas, spent her youth picking cotton in the fields with her siblings, and a career
9 working as a teacher's aide for children with language disorders; and
10 WHEREAS, Rebecca speaks both English and French fluently and has dedicated
11 much of her time on efforts to preserve the Creole traditions of her youth, particularly
12 teaching and sharing folk medical traditions and educating others about the life, music, art,
13 cooking, and spirituality that composes Creole culture; and
14 WHEREAS, Mrs. Henry has been recognized by numerous entities for her many
15 skills and talents as a poet, storyteller, writer, doll maker, festival organizer, teacher, and
16 artist; and
17 WHEREAS, as a columnist she writes for the monthly "Creole Magazine" and is a
18 published author of a book of Creole traditions; and
Page 1 of 3 SR NO. 25
SLS 22RS-1241 ORIGINAL
1 WHEREAS, she founded Creole Heritage, Inc. and the Creole Heritage Folklife
2 Center in Opelousas, Louisiana; she was instrumental in organizing the Opelousas
3 community events of Martin Luther King Celebration of Opelousas, Sharecropper's Day, and
4 Juneteenth Folklife Celebration; and she initiated, along with her granddaughter, the Creole
5 Cultural Summer Enrichment Program for children in Opelousas; and
6 WHEREAS, as an artist, Mrs. Henry is listed on the Louisiana State Artist Roster,
7 has been accepted into the Louisiana Crafts Marketing Program for her Creole dollhouse
8 collection and her okra angels, and her art have been displayed and recognized by the
9 Presidential Offices of both Bill Clinton and Barack Obama; and
10 WHEREAS, her other accolades include the founding of the Creole Quilters, a group
11 of nine members who created the St. Landry Parish quilt square for the state's bicentennial
12 quilt in 2012, and has been a featured folklife presenter at festivals and forums throughout
13 Louisiana, including the Festival International de Louisiana, the New Orleans Jazz and
14 Heritage Festival, the Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Music Festival, the Creole Festival,
15 Festival Acadiens, Shadows-on-the Teche, and Vermilionville's Creole and Cajun Day; and
16 WHEREAS, Mrs. Henry also teaches Creole French to adults and a class in folklife
17 medicine at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette; and
18 WHEREAS, when asked about her work, Mrs. Henry notes that she doesn't feel that
19 she has done enough for there are far too many more souls to be touched; and
20 WHEREAS, today Mrs. Henry lives in Opelousas, Louisiana, with her loving
21 husband, Elton Henry, for over fifty years and they are the proud parents of six children and
22 blessed with thirteen grandchildren and fifteen great-grandchildren; and
23 WHEREAS, the St. Landry Democratic Parish Executive Committee biennially
24 considers persons of high ethical and moral character who have promoted the principles of
25 constitutional equality, personal liberty, economic opportunity, and government and fiscal
26 responsibility who has positively influenced the entire parish and the state; and
27 WHEREAS, as recipient of its Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, St. Landry
28 Parish Democratic Party considers Mrs. Henry to be a person who recognizes and respects
29 the diversity of all Americans and promotes the common unity of all, leading her political
30 party and displaying strong leadership throughout her career; and
Page 2 of 3 SR NO. 25
SLS 22RS-1241 ORIGINAL
1 WHEREAS, Rebecca Davis Henry demonstrates a devotion to all of the principles
2 of the St. Landry Parish Democratic Party with a lifetime championing principles that are
3 so essential to the ideas of American democracy; and
4 WHEREAS, during the Lifetime Achievement Banquet to be held on April 7, 2022,
5 Rebecca Davis Henry will be inducted into the St. Landry Parish Democratic Party Hall of
6 Fame.
7 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
8 does hereby commend and congratulate Rebecca Davis Henry upon her induction into the
9 St. Landry Parish Democratic Party Hall of Fame.
10 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
11 Rebecca Davis Henry.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Dawn Romero Watson.
DIGEST
SR 25 Original 2022 Regular Session Boudreaux
Commends and congratulates Rebecca Davis Henry upon her induction into the St. Landry
Parish Democratic Party Hall of Fame.
Page 3 of 3