It’s a video that continues to bring all the smiles and heartwarming feelings, even on this stressful Election Day.
On Saturday, the Sasfy family — Nick, Stephanie and 2-year-old Jude — were in Atlanta’s Cabbagetown neighborhood for its Chomp and Stomp Festival.
Luckily, when the trio was preparing to leave, Nick Sasfy had his camera rolling on little Jude.
“Once we told Jude it’s time to go bye bye, He gave every stranger a hug,” he said in a Facebook video post that had at least 28 million views as of Tuesday.
In the video, as bluegrass plays in the background and festival-goers relax on the grass, chatting and taking in the scene, Jude can be seen walking around, on a mission to hug as many people as possible.
As Jude makes his way around, festival-goers laugh and smile as some are caught off-guard by the toddler. Yet, everyone returns the embrace, smiling, and some even come over to get one, just in case he missed them.
Before the video ends, Jude hugs a toddler who’s walked over to him.
“Considering today’s climate of division and hatred, we believe that the interest and reactions are attributed to people seeing the positive image of an innocent child hugging complete strangers [who, for the most part, don’t look like him] without judgment and hesitation,” Nick Sasfy told ABC News in a statement.
“The comments that have resonated the most with us are those where others have expressed how this video has helped restore some hope in the world or how it has touched, encouraged and uplifted them.”
