HR 390

ENROLLED
2026 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 390
BY REPRESENTATIVE PHELPS
  A RESOLUTION
To commend Anita Whitaker-LaFontaine on her artistic achievements as an author, actress,
       and singer.
       WHEREAS, Anita Whitaker-LaFontaine is a native of Shreveport, Louisiana, and
grew up in the Cedar Grove community; she is the daughter of Green Whitaker, Sr., and the
late Ola Mae Whitaker; and
       WHEREAS, Anita is a 1977 graduate of Captain Shreve High School, a 1981
graduate of Northeast Louisiana University, and a former registered intensive care unit
nurse; and
       WHEREAS, Anita became the first African American Miss Louisiana in 1984, and
she was Star Search Hall of Fame Grand Champion; and
       WHEREAS, Anita is an accomplished singer and songwriter who has performed in
four world premiere musicals, countless charity galas, television and concert venues, and
theatrical productions; she has recorded and co-produced four studio albums to date; and
       WHEREAS, Anita has performed with many of the most famous voices and
musicians of her time, including duets with Andrea Bocelli, Michael Bolton, Josh Groban,
Dave Koz, and Chris Botti; she sang the original demos for Whitney Houston's songs "I Will
Always Love You", "I Have Nothing", and "I Look to You"; she is a favorite singer of the
legendary producer, David Foster; and
       WHEREAS, Anita has worked with Carole Bayer Sager, Michael Bublé, Kenneth
"Babyface" Edmonds, Patti Austin, Burt Bacharach, Carole King, James Ingram, Steve
Tyrell, Patti LaBelle, and Barbara Streisand; and
       WHEREAS, Anita has created cabaret shows and undertaken work on memoirs; she
co-wrote Sophisticated Lady: The Songs of Natalie Cole with Kenneth L. Roberson; she also
penned two award-winning books, including When Your Hand is in the Lion's Mouth: The
Life and Wisdom of a Man named Green, which won the award for Best African American
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HR NO. 390  ENROLLED
non-fiction and details the life lessons she learned from her centenarian father, Green
Whitaker, Sr.; and
       WHEREAS, Ms. Whitaker-LaFontaine made her Broadway debut as Wiletta Mayers
in Alice Childress's Tony-nominated play, Trouble in Mind, and she received the 2019
NAACP Best Supporting Actress Award for her role as Mom Winans in the musical Born
for This; and
       WHEREAS, Ms. Whitaker-LaFontaine was presented with the 2022 Artivist Award
by Skylight Theater in Los Angeles for her work with children and literacy; she continues
to advocate for literacy through her nonprofit organization, In A World with Books, which
has provided thirty thousand five hundred books to children; and
       WHEREAS, Ms. Whitaker-LaFontaine considers her incredibly talented daughters,
Skye and Liisi LaFontaine, as the greatest delights of her life; and
       WHEREAS, Anita Whitaker-LaFontaine is most deserving of the highest recognition
for her many achievements across multiple artistic disciplines.
       THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
Legislature of Louisiana does hereby commend Anita Whitaker-LaFontaine on her artistic
achievements as an author, actress, and singer and does hereby extend sincere wishes that
she remain prosperous in all of her endeavors.
  SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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