This past Sunday, NBA Star Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and 7 other people died in a tragic helicopter crash in Los Angeles. The helicopter faced poor, foggy weather conditions before its collision into a hillside at approximately 9:47 am. In condolences for Kobe, the Empire State Building was lit purple and gold, a basketball game was postponed, and hundreds to thousands of students across the country walked out of class in respect. Worldwide, people are grieving the loss of a renowned icon and inspiration. Particularly, the most saddening part of this fiasco is that most people standing up about the unjust loss of the 41-year-old star don’t care to think about a far more tragic incident only about two weeks prior. In which, a plane carrying 176 passengers, shot down by Iranian officials, barely made a peep in the media.

As a primarily connecting flight to Canada, Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 took off from Tehran. In poor timing, Iran had just fired a barrage of missiles at American forces in retaliation for the assassination of one of their top Generals. Mistaking the plane as a US counterattack, an officer acting without chain permission launched two anti-aircraft missiles. The devastating error left no survivors. 

The tragic incident got a quick glimmer of fame. Only it, along with all the rest of the chaos in the Middle East, would be drowned out quickly by our own presidential debates and impeachment hearings. The 176 passengers and crew members have been completely forgotten. Between that and the care Kobe has been getting is a huge disparity. Kobe has been trending for days, unifying America together in solidarity. It is all over social media and news headlines. Even basketball tickets have been dedicated to Bryant’s charity. However, the victims of the unjust plane crash dissolved without any justice served. There was accountability. No walkout. No GoFundme for the families. Plain murder went down that night, and no one is talking about it.

Kobe’s huge impact certainly warrants our support. However, the disparity between that crash and the Ukrainian crash has no rationale. In no way is any life more valuable than another – or 176 others in this matter. Let’s not forget the victims of Ukrainian flight 752. Otherwise, they may become another casualty in 29 years of American influence in the Middle East. If it means holding someone accountable, supporting their families, or backing out of land that isn’t our own, we should do something for justice.

On BBC you can find a detailed list of families, teachers, and children on board.