Wanda Dorn: February 2024

Saturday, February 24, 2024

The Don of Virgil Jr. High

Rising Nile Productions Presents

... a JALEEL GHAFUR/ERIC BIVENS-BUSH production

... a DEON H. HAYMAN film

... Deon H. Hayman, Director

... Starring Jilani Ghafur

The Don of Virgil Jr. High: Don of Virgil Jr. High, award-winning short film Written, Directed, Executive Produced by Deon H. Hayman, at A'Dorn Studios, and Executive Producers JALEEL GHAFUR and ERIC BIVENS-BUSH. Wanda Dorn, Co-Producer, Co-Casting Director, Actor/Co-Producer Michael Brignac

John M Langston Bar Asociation BHM '24

Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Cortez W. Peters, Sr. - Black History Month Honoree

HOW I BECAME A COURT REPORTER THANKS TO

CORTEZ W. PETERS, SR.

After high school, my Mother and Step Father, since I had a tendency to tell everyone what to do, they thought I should become a teacher.

So, while Mother was at Chicago Teacher's College trying to get me enrolled ↝ I was at Cortez Peters Business College enrolling to become a Court Reporter. It was Cortez Peters that influenced me toward that direction, coupled with urging from my Uncle Robert Powers, attorney/later Assistant Attorney General, who had me work in his law firm right out of high school while his secretary went on maternity leave.

I enrolled in CPBC ↝ but I wanted to travel ↝ so I left ↝ first got myself hired at Play Boy Clubs International, Chicago (Long story). But that wasn't traveling!

I Still wanted to travel. I told Mother I was going into the WAAC (the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps, which was created and attached to, but not integrated into the Army). She said "absolutely no".

Restless, as I always am, I told her, "Then, I'm going to become an airline stewardess". She, like everyone else said, "THEY DON'T HIRE COLORED STEWARDESSES". I applied to several airlines anyway ↝ Got hired first by OZARK AIRLINES. I was so excited, I hurriedly took the job ↝ then got called by UNITED AIRLINES ↝ then Ozark merged with and became TWA.

The RACIAL DIVERSITY, other DIFFICULTIES, FUN and EXCITING things that happened on becoming one of only a few Black Court Reporters back then, in one of my four books that I have written (one published but now out of print - being reprinted). The book featuring Court Reporting, was written about twenty years ago (never published until soon). I had difficulty gathering up my emotional containment to be able to write it down on paper. What a story to tell 😔!

Hope everyone will look for the announcement(s) as to when the book(s) will be released later this year, 2024. Please check my website after June 4th for more info: http://adornstudios.org/

Like Mother wanted, I wound up teaching at a high school, teaching in my own school, conducting seminars, workshops and trainings ⇝ in other words ⇝ teaching for years. I guess Mother does know best. But, I would tell Mother today, if she were here, "Reporters make three times more money than teachers 😄!"

Years passed ... But for some reason, in the interim, I found myself back in college and EVENTUALLY BECAME A (rewarding) COURT REPORTER! Thanks to Cortez Peters, Sr.!

★Oh yes! Just have to share this with you: To pass the State Board Examine, as required, you must do in-court mock practice hours sitting behind an official Reporter. I was doing so one day when the Judge leaned down from the bench and asked, "young lady, are you ready to go to work?" I must have looked surprised and confused ⇝ he said, " they need a Reporter in the court downstairs to take a Preliminary Hearing". Scared, but I said, "yes, I'm ready". I took the Prelim and Reported everyday for over twenty years after that. But the story isn't over...

I had not taken my State Boards because they only give the examine twice per year. BUT THIS IS SOMETHING I'M SO PROUD TO TELL YOU ⇝ THE JUDGE THEN HAD EVERY JUDGE IN THE 'ENTIRE COUNTY' sign a petition that I could work full time without a license. From what I was told, that had never been done before. 🙏