Pitt fraternity holds vigil to honor Martin Luther King Jr.

Davie Huddleston, the director of strategic college recruiting for the PNC Financial Services… Davie Huddleston, the director of strategic college recruiting for the PNC Financial Services Group, was one of many gathered outside of the Cathedral of Learning Sunday night to celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr.

“I owe the King an apology. For when I was a child, I would say I wanted to be the vice president of America. I simply didn’t believe that a black man could become president in my lifetime — I didn’t dream big enough,” Huddleston said at Pitt’s Alpha Phi Alpha Candlelight Vigil.

He said he feared that many African Americans had dreams that were too small.

“But then there was Obama’s inauguration — that really made an impact on our generation,” Huddleston said. “[We] aren’t dreaming anymore. It’s real.”

At 7:06 p.m., about 40 fraternity members, students and locals gathered at the Cathedral. The meeting time — when translated into military time, 19:06 — is symbolic of the founding year of Alpha Phi Alpha.

“Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s impact was profound for our community, the nation and the world,” said senior Jay Oriola, a member of Alpha Phi Alpha. “So even though it’s cold, we’re going to try to keep these candles lit.”

The fraternity members shared brief remarks on the fallen civil rights hero’s legacy and celebrated the newly erected memorial to King on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Nationwide, Alpha Phi Alpha raised $100 million to build the monument. King himself was a member of the fraternity.

Amidst the icy winds, Alpha Phi Alpha members handed out candles to those in attendance, and slowly people began lighting the candles until the circle of participants was brightened by tiny flames.

“He was from the same chapter in 1952 at Boston University,” Oriola said. “It’s a tribute to a man whose impact transcends the entire world.”

The gathering then observed a moment of silence. Around the circle, some students closed their eyes while others bowed heads in reverence.

Then, quietly, visible in the darkness as a thin line of lights, the procession filed down the steps and began a trek toward the O’Hara Student Center.

As the procession moved past the looming canons on Soldiers & Sailors lawn, Oriola explained that the walk symbolized the historical March on Selma, at which King worked with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee to peacefully gain voting rights in Alabama.

“The words of Martin Luther King Jr. are that, ‘Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.’ Isn’t that the truth?” Huddleston said.

Occasionally, the flame of a marcher would smolder in the frigid night, but brothers would quickly lean in to reignite the extinguished candle.

Attendees then filed into O’Hara’s banquet hall to discuss current issues plaguing struggling African Americans. Among the chosen topics were affirmative action and the impact of President Barack Obama’s election.

Halim Genus, SGB Board member and president of the Black Action Society, concluded the discussions, charging students with an obligation to King and a responsibility to their communities.

“The president can’t do it himself. We have a responsibility,” Genus said, outlining the financial and educational issues still rampant in the African American community. “Dr. King was the dreamer; we are the actors. Dream plus action equals reality.”