Vernie Merze Tate was an educator, author and civil rights pioneer. Born in Blanchard, Michigan; Tate pursued her college education at Western State Teachers College and graduated in 1927. After teaching at Crispus Attucks High School in Indianapolis for a short time, she pursued a graduate degree at Columbia University where she graduated in 1930. In 1932 she moved to the United Kingdom and studied at Oxford University where she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in 1935. She was the first black American to do this. In 1941 she completed her PhD at Harvard, being the first black woman to do so. In 1942 she joined the faculty at Howard University, where she stayed until her retirement in 1977. During her tenure at Howard, she authored seven books, taught abroad as a Fulbright scholar, and became a recognized expert in International Relations. Upon her death, she returned to Michigan and was buried in Blanchard.