Talib Hudson, PhD is the Founder and Project Director of The New Hood.

As a community-based scholar and advocate, Talib is driven to promote public policy for the advancement of metropolitan Black communities. His grassroots community work began with Street Corner Resources, a community-based organization in Harlem. Under the leadership and mentorship of Founder and CEO Iesha Sekou, Talib organized public anti-violence demonstrations and coordinated community outreach efforts while pushing the issue of violence prevention into the local policy discourse.

Subsequently, Hudson took a position in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, focusing on violence prevention and reentry for people who are formerly incarcerated. He rose to become the Deputy Director of the Community Partnerships Unit, where he led a team that worked with community members to prevent crime and enhance public safety. From there, he then joined the staff of the National Network for Safe Communities at John Jay College (NNSC). Starting as a Field Advisor for the Group Violence Intervention (GVI) at NNSC, Talib was later promoted to Associate Director, GVI. 

His passion for policy led him to the Community Justice Action Fund (CJAF), a nonprofit advocacy organization that builds power with and for communities of color to end gun violence. Talib was CJAF’s first Policy Director, writing the organization’s first model legislation to be introduced in a legislative body, and was part of a coalition that successfully fought to secure federal funding for community-based violence prevention. He then returned to NNSC to serve as Director of Special Projects, focusing on key organizational priorities.

Talib’s career in policy started in 2004 at the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) in Washington, D.C., where he served in a few roles, most notably as Legislative Affairs Associate. That experience introduced him to the halls of Congress and federal officials and showed him the impact that policy can have on neighborhoods across the country. 

A key component of Talib's story is his battle with clinical depression, which started during his undergraduate years at The George Washington University. Despite setbacks, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in American Studies in 2004 with a minor in Africana Studies.

You can reach Talib at talib@thenewhood.org

Indigo Hinojos is a Public Engagement Fellow and MS Student at The New School, studying to earn a Master’s in Public and Urban Policy with a focus on advocacy. Before attending The New School, Hinojos earned their BA in Gender, Race, and Identity at the University of Nevada, Reno. At UNR, Hinojos took part in many on-campus advocacy and grassroots movements, as well as, conducted research for the McNair Scholars.

During the summer of 2020, Hinojos joined the Every Voice Coalition as an inaugural fellow and started to work for their Nevada Team. During this time, they were taught about the legislative process, grassroots tactics, and how to form a community of individuals focused on putting protections for students at institutions of higher education. At the end of the summer, they continued as a State Director for Nevada and worked alongside students and survivors to ensure the passing of NV SB347 during the 2021 legislative session. This work proved vital to the understanding Hinojos has surrounding policy and legislative advocacy and has pushed them to continue this work with The New Hood.