The American Airlines passenger plane crash has left families and their communities in mourning after the incident left 67 people dead on Wednesday. Among the fatalities were civil rights attorney Kiah Duggins and flight attendant Danasia Elder.

Duggins was an attorney for Civil Rights Corps. and a former Miss Kansas contestant, KWCH reported. She grew up in Wichita, KS, and represented the Miss Kansas Organization as Miss Butler County. Duggins was visiting family and was aboard the American Airlines plane flying back to Washington D.C., where she works.

“Her loss is heartbreaking, not only for her family and friends but for everyone who believes in justice and equality,” former Sedgwick County Commissioner Lacey Cruse wrote in a Facebook post, according to the news outlet. “May her work, her message, and her spirit continue to inspire and create change. Gone too soon but never forgotten.”

Cruse referred to Duggins as “a brave and beautiful soul, a light in the fight for civil rights.”

The attorney graduated from Wichita State University before pursuing her studies at Harvard Law School. The Ivy League institution was among those who paid tribute to Duggins on social media. 

Larry Strong, who was her local pageant director, highlighted her goals to elevate her community.

“She set up a project for underserved young ladies on helping them get into college, and it was called ‘The Princess Project,’” Strong told KWCH.

“Such a bright future ahead, such a bright future ahead,” she added. “I know this is a difficult time for [Duggins’ family] and they’re in my thoughts and prayers.”

Duggins’ family asked for privacy while they grieve. Among those who also died in the plane crash was flight attendant Danasia Elder. She was 34 years old and a mother to two children, Kayden and Dallas.

“She was very bright, very smart,” her brother-in-law Brandon Payne told WSOC, according to The Charlotte Observer. “She was an entrepreneur. This flight attendant thing was kind of like one of her dreams she wanted to do.”

Rebecca Cavaliere, who worked with Elders and participated in PSA training with her last year, described her as the “sweetest human.”

“Flying will never be the same for me again,” she wrote on social media, according to the news outlet. “You never think someone you know will be in a plane crash. I’ve worked flights into DCA many times and my brain can’t comprehend how this happened. Praying for all 67 souls and may they rest in peace.”

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