St Kitts native’s daughter among victims in fatal American Airlines and US Army Black Hawk collision

Kiah Duggins, the daughter of a St Kitts and Nevis native was among one of those killed in a collision between an American Airlines regional jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk military helicopter near Reagan National Airport on Wednesday. This destructive crash sent both the aircrafts into the Potomac River, leaving no survivors among the 60 passengers and 4 crew members onboard the aircraft. 

Kiah Duggins was a Harvard Law graduate and a former member of the Harvard Law Review. She was a 30-year-old brilliant legal mind, former Michell Obama's intern, dedicated civil rights attorney. As per reports, the attorney was in route to Washington DC where she had planned to begin a career as a law school professor at Howard University. She was returning from Wichita after visiting her family while her mother underwent surgery. 

Kiah Duggins was born in Wichita, Kansas. She was the daughter of Maurice Duggins, a St. Kitts-born physician practicing family medicine in Wichita. Her father was originally from Sandy Point, St Kitts. She was known for her fight against fight against unconstitutional policing and money bail practices, litigating cases in Tennessee, Texas, and Washington. She was also celebrated in her university and community because of her commitment to prison abolition and justice reform. As per details, Duggins was also a former finalist in the Miss Kansas pageant, she also held the position of president at the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau. 

Howard University School of Law react to Kiah Duggins death 

The President of Howard University School of Law, Ben Vison said, “It is with profound sadness that the Howard University community and the Howard University School of Law have learned of the passing of Professor Kiah Duggins.”

Friends remember Kiah Duggins 

 Following her demise, her friends and colleagues shared the pictures of Kiah Duggins on their Facebook handle and described her as an exceptional legal scholar and a passionate advocate for civil rights. An individual with the user name, James L. Walker said, “No words and so close to home. A Harvard trained lawyer who worked for Michelle Obama and on her way to joining our faculty at our beloved Howard University School of Law. Gone too soon.”

Another alma mater of Howard University, Gigi Khanyezi said, “I am heartbroken. My Alma mater, Howard University, has lost a star. Kiah Duggins was a passenger on the AA flight. She was a human rights lawyer scheduled to become a professor in the fall at Howard School of Law. Rest in Power, dear sister. We've got this.”