Students, faculty virtually celebrate Pitt's 100th Lantern Night

It’s one of the oldest traditions on the University of Pittsburgh campus.

Each year for the past century, freshman women have gathered on the eve of the first day of fall classes for Lantern Night, when alumnae symbolically pass the Light of Learning on to the next generation of Pitt women.

The ceremony usually involves a candlelit procession from the Cathedral of Learning to Heinz Chapel.

This year, however, the pandemic prevented the centennial celebration from being held in person.

“It’s unfortunate because you can feel the enthusiasm of the young women as they line up and as they come through with their candles and everything. It’s a beautiful ceremony, but this year they are being robbed of that,” said Valerie Njie, president of the Pitt Alumni Association. “For obvious reasons, we couldn’t do it, so we had to be creative and come up with a way to still make this a wonderful experience.”

Knowing how much the event has meant to so many alumnae, Njie and others did what they could to capture its essence virtually.

A celebration was held Tuesday evening that coincided with the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment granting women the right to vote. It included videos and messages submitted by alumnae to commemorate the event via social media and a commemorative candle was given to new students.

Tonight, @PittAlumni is kicking off its year-long celebration of the 100th Annual Lantern Night! ?️✨

Read more ➡️ https://t.co/osnn1AmCax#H2P #lantern100 pic.twitter.com/nyErkD6agm

— Pitt Athletics (@Pitt_ATHLETICS) August 18, 2020

“Because it was the 100th year of the event, we knew we had to mark the occasion even though we couldn’t gather in person,” said Nancy Merritt, vice chancellor for alumni relations.

Lantern Night looks different this year, but the importance of passing on the light of learning remains the same. Welcome, Class of 2024! pic.twitter.com/WebJdrFya4

— Patrick Gallagher (@PittChancellor) August 19, 2020

Over the past century, Lantern Night has meant a great deal to the women who have participated in it. Njie, a graduate of the former Homestead High School, remembers Lantern Night in 1968 when she was part of a group of African-American students who were recruited by Pitt in the wake of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. earlier that year. In the ensuing protests, Black students demanded more educational opportunities.

“What was special for me during my Lantern Night was that my mother came,” said Njie. “I was a first-generation college student and so my excitement was the pride I had that my mother had gotten a child into college and was able to come and enjoy that ceremony.

“It’s meant to honor the trailblazing women who have gone before you and to recognize that you too can accomplish great things with a Pitt education.”

Pitt officials said the Lantern Night ceremony will return next year but it may still look different.

“We are considering how to make it more inclusive,” said Merrit. “One good thing about going virtual this year is that it forced us to think beyond the boundaries of time and space. In the future, we’ll be thinking about how to pass on the Light of Learning to all Pitt students, including those on our regional campuses.”

For now, Njie has a message for the class of 2024.

“We want you to know that we are behind you and that you can excel and do great things.”