Tate Travel Club

Merze Tate is the woman with the white hat holding the banner) formed her travel club in the 1940s.

Vernie Merze Tate grew up in west Michigan the only black student in her class. She graduated with honors from Western Michigan University and later was the first African-American to graduate from Oxford University in 1932. Tate traveled the globe as a writer, and eventually became a teacher at an all-black high school in Indiana. While there Tate started a travel club for her students.

She taught as a history teacher at Crispus Attucks High School in Indianapolis, Indiana from 1927-32.

As a teacher she wanted her students to see the world they learned about. Her determination led to her founding the school travel club which went to such places as Washington D.C., Niagara Falls, and Pennsylvania. One news article criticized her efforts of taking these students into the world, as they were not expected to be more than domestics. Tate proved them wrong. All of the members of the club were honor roll students and many went on to college.

Source: Western Michigan University Archives