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Aspiring Howard Law Professor Dies in D.C. Plane Crash

A soon-to-be Howard Law professor was among the 67 victims of last week’s plane crash, of which EMS Chief John Donnelly confirmed no survivors were expected. She dedicated her life to people and justice.

The Howard University School of Law. (Photo courtesy of NCinDC)

After an Army helicopter and a commercial plane collided in Washington, D.C. last week, officials say there are no expected survivors. Among the 67 victims on flight 5432 from Wichita, Kansas, to D.C. was a soon-to-be Howard professor, Kiah Duggins.

Duggins would have begun work as a professor at the Howard School of Law this fall. On Jan. 30, the day after the crash, Dean Roger A. Fairfax Jr. emailed a statement to the Howard School of Law faculty and staff mourning the loss of Duggins. He described her as a “bright light” with potential and said she was excited to contribute to the law school.

“I am heartbroken by this tragedy, and my last memory of Kiah was seeing her bright smile at our school of law holiday party, which she attended here just six weeks ago,” he said.

A Wichita native, Duggins attended Wichita Public Schools before attending Wichita State University as a Clay Barton Scholar, according to her university biography. It said she served as a White House intern for the former First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let Girls Learn” initiative in 2016, a Clinton Global Initiative university campus representative and a co-founder of both the Shocker Food Locker campus food pantry and the Wichita State Inspire outreach initiative.

Following her bachelor’s degrees, Duggins received her Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 2021, where she was president of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau. She also completed a Fulbright grant in Taiwan and served as a Law 4 Black Lives Fellow.

After the aircraft crashed into the Potomac River, recovery operations began and continued for days following the accident, and victims started being identified. President Donald Trump faced backlash after implying diversity, equity and inclusion (D.E.I) caused the plane crash, but as of Jan. 31 the cause of the collision was unclear

The Howard University Office of Communications sent a university-wide email on Jan. 30.

“We extend our deepest condolences to her family and loved ones, and all of the families and individuals who have suffered unimaginable loss as a result of this devastating incident,” the email said.

The university said it planned to honor Duggins’ legacy but did not yet clarify how it would do so. In the email and on social media, Howard encouraged the community to seek university mental health resources if necessary.  

Joseph Shepard, a friend of Duggins, served as the student body president for Wichita State University’s Student Government Association while Duggins held the position of chief of staff. He shared lessons from her life that she would want the world to know on Facebook.

“Kiah didn’t just share love—she embodied it,” he wrote. “She welcomed many into her heart, including me, and was there in my darkest times.”

Her university biography also highlighted Duggins’ TED Talk, “The Princess Project” and a program by the same name she founded to combat the “lack of social capital” which can serve as a barrier for marginalized students at predominantly white institutions.

“Kiah hopes that by building a network of educated young women of color and advocating for inclusive educational policies, more marginalized high school girls will successfully pursue higher education,” the biography said.

In his post, Shepard emphasized Kiah’s dedication to civil rights and justice. He said she sought to help all children receive the same opportunities she had, which fueled her work empowering young girls and preparing them for college. The Princess Project aimed to teach people that “Black girls can be princesses too.”

She most recently worked as an attorney at the Civil Rights Corps, opposing unconstitutional policing and money bail practices in Tennessee, Texas and Washington, D.C. Before that, she fought police misconduct and unlawfulness in the criminal justice system with the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California and Neufeld, Scheck and Brustin LLP.

According to a Facebook post from pageant coach Larry E. Strong, Duggins was also a pageant contestant, earning the titles of Miss Butler County 2014 and 2015 and being a top ten finalist in the same years at the Miss Kansas pageant. Her pageantry extended to being Miss Black and Gold, representing Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., according to Shephard’s post.

Her Civil Rights Corps biography said she enjoyed traveling internationally, dancing and asking about people’s daily magical moments.

Shepard’s post also said Duggins’ family was very important to her. Shepard shared that her family asked that the public respect their privacy at this time. 

In his post, Shepard said Duggins had a pure heart, held people accountable and uplifted those in need. He described her as “hope in darkness” and more than her accolades and achievements. 

“Her story can’t be summed up in a post or a press release, but we can keep telling it—by standing for justice, sharing our privileges, and ensuring opportunities reach others,” he wrote.

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Copy edited by Camiryn Stepteau

Editor’s Note: The original version of this article contained quotes and photos that Duggins’ loved ones requested to be omitted as they are in mourning. The Hilltop has honored this request.

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