CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Charlotte leader is spreading a message of love and support for those affected by the deadly Washington, D.C., plane crash. 

Malcolm Graham serves on the Charlotte City Council.

Like many in the nation, Graham is hurting for those who lost their lives in a deadly midair crash.

On Wednesday night, an American Airlines flight collided with an Army helicopter, resulting in 67 lives lost.

“My heart was just broken for the family and the friends,” Graham said.

Some on the flight have close ties to Charlotte and North Carolina. 

Graham can relate to the devastation felt by families who suddenly lost a loved one.

In 2015, Graham’s sister, Cynthia Graham Hurd, was killed along with eight others in a shooting by a white supremacist at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston.

“It's a sudden loss,” Graham said. "It hits you like a brick. You're trying to figure it out, trying to get information, trying to rally around family and friends, those who knew your loved one."

Graham says one of the best ways for communities to support the grieving families is by honoring their loved ones.

"The objective is to remember who they were and who they loved,” Graham said. "We know the circumstances of the death, now we celebrate their life and legacy."