KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kiah Duggins wrote “It’s OK not to be OK” in the last message she sent to one of her best friends.
Duggins is one of the 67 victims of the mid-air collision that happened in Washington, DC, on Wednesday.
Reading it now brings Hannah Wagner, Duggins' friend, different emotions.
“It was one of the most devastating moments,” Hannah said.
Hannah and Duggins did many things together—middle school, high school, and college—all of them in their hometown of Wichita, Kansas.
They shared a love for dance and competed in the Miss America organization. For Hannah, the message sent a couple of weeks ago makes even more sense now.
“It’s okay to be in mourning. It’s a part of being a human being, but I also know that she wouldn’t want us to stop what we’re doing,” Hannah said.
Duggins herself was also doing many things.
“She wanted to help underserved and underrepresented communities. She wanted to help those who are less fortunate and didn’t have access to food or education,” Hannah said.
Her passion for helping others was evident even during high school.
“She walked around just with that high energy, high focus, and a love of people,” said Sara Richardson, the assistant principal at Wichita East High School when Duggins graduated in 2013.
“She wanted to not only lead her current peers but also lead in the future,” Sara said.
A bright future.
At Wichita State, she founded the university’s student pantry. Later, she went to Harvard Law School and became a White House intern.
“Kiah was one-of-a-kind. She was the real deal,” Hannah said.
As a civil rights attorney and incoming Howard University law professor, Duggins was doing it. Now, she’s inspiring new generations in Wichita.
“Students are like, ‘Maybe I could do the things she had done… Maybe I could go to college, or go to Harvard Law School, or, you know, be a civil rights lawyer,’” Sara said. “I could be like her.”
Her friends will move forward with the mission of honoring Duggins' legacy.
“It will be relatively easy for us to come together to make sure that those legacies live on and we continue pushing for equal rights and everything that she was fighting for,” said Hannah.
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