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