Norma is a long-time researcher of her family's African-American heritage. Her initial search started with verifying a small clipping in the Akron Beacon Journal about the death of her grandmother's grandmother. From that beginning, she has become very knowledgeable in genealogical standards and has written a book and several articles about her direct and extended family. She is a retired hospital pharmacist and reference librarian and is currently researching the male lineage of both parents in South Carolina.