Norma Marcere

Norma Marcere
Born(1908-10-21)October 21, 1908
Canton, Ohio, U.S.
DiedAugust 10, 2004(2004-08-10) (aged 95)
Louisville, Ohio
EducationKent State University
Occupation(s)Activist, feminist, educator
Spouse
Percy Marcere
​
(m. 1929⁠–⁠1971)​
Children2
HonorsOhio Women's Hall of Fame (1985)

Norma Snipes Marcere (October 21, 1908 – August 10, 2004) was an American educator. After being rejected from employment opportunities due to her race, Marcere became the first African-American counselor and school psychologist in the Akron City Schools.

Early life and career

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Marcere was born on October 21, 1908, in Canton, Ohio. She graduated from Canton McKinley High School in 1926.[1] After graduating from McKinley, Marcere worked to pay for her teaching degree tuition at Kent State University.[2] After earning her teaching degree, Marcere graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education and a Master of Arts degree in counseling.[3] With these degrees, Marcere applied to teach in her hometown of Canton, however, a superintendent refused to hire her based on her race.[2][4] As a result, her first teaching placement was at Edmund A. Junior High. As her career developed, she became the first African-American counselor and school psychologist in the Akron City Schools.[2][4]

In 1969, Marcere was elected a lay member of the Youngstown Diocesan Board of Education.[5] Nearly a decade later, in 1976, Marcere retired from teaching and wrote two autobiographies.[2] The two books were later formed into a play by Lois DiGiacomo in 1994[6] which was performed in front of an audience of more than 12,000 people.[7]

In 1973, Marcere was named Junior League Woman of the Year. In 1979, Marcere established the Project for Academic Excellence (PAX), a Saturday school for underachieving inner-city elementary students. This led to the development of Study, Think, Read, Investigate, Volunteer and Excel (STRIVE), a program for minority students that focused on social issues and personal responsibility.[8]

In 1991, Marcere was awarded the Norma Award, named after Norma Sigler Atkins Rowlands, for her educational work.[9] In 1998, she earned the Sister Thea Bowman Medallion from the Office for Black Catholic Ministries of the Diocese of Toledo.[10] She was inducted into the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame in 1985.

Marcere died on August 10, 2004, of natural causes.[8]

References

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  1. ^ "Stark's Famous: Norma Snipes Marcere". Akron Beacon Journal. February 1, 2016. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d Jacqueline Jones Royster (2003). Profiles of Ohio Women, 1803-2003. Ohio University Press. ISBN 9780821415085.
  3. ^ "North Canton Resident Is Woman Of The Year". The Sun. May 8, 1974. p. 12. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Norma Marcere". odjfs.state.oh.us. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  5. ^ "School Board". The Sun. November 19, 1969. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  6. ^ "The Fences Between". The Sun. January 20, 2000. p. 20. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  7. ^ Reicosky, Lisa (May 1, 2010). "TAKE IN A SHOW". aboutstark.com. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  8. ^ a b "Norma Snipes Marcere - Obituary". ancestry.com. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  9. ^ "North Canton resident given Guild award". The Sun. October 9, 1991. p. 5. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  10. ^ "The Diocese by the Decades". doyorg.ipage.com. January 11, 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
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