Poet and educator Melvin B. Tolson began teaching at the historically black Wiley College in Marshall, Texas, in 1924. A dedicated mentor, he coached Wiley's debate team through an impressive ten-year winning streak. The team is portrayed in the 2007 film The Great Debaters, with Tolson portrayed by Denzel Washington. Tolson was also a brilliant and inventive poet, drawing upon both the western tradition and the distinctive rhythm and vernacular of the blues. In 1947, the African nation of Liberia named him poet laureate.