Peace Activist To Appear At Limestone College On September 6

Peace activist and motivational speaker Ken Nwadike, Jr., of the Free Hugs Project, who was at the site of the recent deadly violence in Charlottesville, VA, will be speaking at Limestone College's Fullerton Auditorium on Wednesday, Sept. 6, at 8 p.m.

Admission is free and the public is invited to attend.

Throughout the year, Nwadike travels the country seeking to defuse violence at protests and encouraging civil dialogue.  Just a few months after visiting Limestone College in September of 2016, he spent time in Charlotte working to mediate tensions between protesters and police.

He is the founder and president of Restore Civility, a national campaign to develop communities that navigate social justice issues with respect, empathy, and positive dialogue.

“Last year, Nwadike was one of Limestone's most engaging and well-received speakers,” said Limestone College Chaplain Reverend Ron Singleton, who helped organize the upcoming lecture. “This time around, he will focus his time at Limestone talking about ‘Combating Hate with Love.’  He will also be on campus during the day to encourage students to attend the program.”

Nwadike, who is also a video journalist and YouTube personality, is best known as the “Free Hugs Guy” in online videos. He is the founder of the Free Hugs Project, which produces motivational videos to spread love, inspire change, and raise awareness of social issues. His “Free Hugs” videos have reached hundreds of millions of views on Facebook and YouTube.

When the 35-year-old husband and father of three isn’t traveling to capture hugs on video, he and his wife run Superhero Events, which produces running events from 5K races to half-marathons. Nwadike is also a runner who previously worked with an Olympic development training program at Stanford University. Superhero Events raises funds and awareness for homeless teens.

In his interactive program, Nwadike brings his Free Hugs Project to engage students in conversations of understanding and compassion amidst the rising tide of hatred and racism. 

“The goal of his program is to create unity and build community across campus and to remind students that we are all humans in need of love,” Singleton said.