"Free Hugs Guy" awarded for courage in Mahoning Valley

Have you ever thought that a simple hug could make a difference? Well, a man awarded for his courage Tuesday night has made a name for himself based on that single action. 

Thirty-six-year-old Ken Nwadike, Jr., known as the "Free Hugs Guy," has traveled the country spreading the message of peace on the front lines of protests.

"It's so important for all of the shouting to kind of reduce and let's hear each other out first and we'll find we all kind of want the same thing. We're just going about it in different ways," said Nwadike.

Growing up homeless in South Central Los Angeles, Nwadike has little to no connection to the Mahoning Valley. But his hugs resonate. Tuesday night he was presented with the national Simeon Booker Award for Courage as part of the 5th annual Ohio Non-violence week.

And it's no surprise that after the ceremony at the DeYor Performing Arts Center folks just wanted a hug.

"You can disengage people with a hug. Just imagine someone wants to throw a punch at you when you can de-escalate that by saying, 'Look, I'm just here in love that's it you know,' and it really calms people down," said Nwadike.

And when people are calm that's when they can listen.

"We can just figure out how can we at least get along and then let's start working on the change and coming up with the policies. But no change is going to happen when we are attacking each other," said Nwadike.

So he continues to travel the country in hopes that a simple touch will spark a chain reaction and unify the country, one hug at a time.

To learn more about the "Free Hugs Project, click here.