Safety Is His Mission

Mariner’s Harbor Resident Al-Tabar Hudgins, 23, is a young man with a mission to spread the word to his peers about keeping themselves and their communities safe.  As a member of the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice’s Peer Leadership Committee for the past three years, Mr. Hudgins has been getting people talking about gun violence. 

Al-tabar Hudgins is Walking the Talk

Mariner’s Harbor Resident Al-tabar Hudgins, 23, is a young man with a mission to spread the word to his peers about keeping themselves and their communities safe. 

As a member of the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice’s (MOCJ) Peer Leadership Committee for the past three years, Mr. Hudgins has been getting people talking about gun violence. Peer leaders are NYCHA residents under the age of 24 who receive training to become advocates and activists for peace in their communities.

“This is something I’m very passionate about. Gun violence is something a lot of people are dealing with, so to be able to talk to them, to see everyone very much engaged to talk about gun violence and the value of life, that’s the most meaningful part.”

His experience with MOCJ led him to an opportunity with the Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence. In January, Mr. Hudgins started working there as a peer educator. As part of the NYC Healthy Relationships Training Academy, he helps lead workshops on dating violence and healthy relationships for teens and young adults across the five boroughs. 

“We talk about healthy relationships, empowering people our age and younger to know what they want out of a relationship, the reason they start relationships, the type of signs to look out for in an abusive relationship, and just to know how to have a healthy relationship.”

Mr. Hudgins is thankful he got the chance to do this kind of important work for his community, and he hopes to continue that work in the future as a defense attorney. He’s working on a bachelor’s degree in political science at the College of Staten Island and plans to then attend law school.

“When I go to talk to some of these kids, especially Black and brown kids, it’s the first time a lot of them have ever had these conversations. They don’t get to talk about things that might be stigmatized. Conversation creates a whole new dynamic,
a whole new culture.”