About Abel

If Abel were here, he would tell us “not to forget the happy thoughts”.  

Our bright light, Abel Mengistab was born on November 5, 1999 to loving parents Dagmawit Abraham and Mengistab Tsegay in Ottawa, Canada. Born on his mother’s birthday, Abel’s mom quickly dubbed him her greatest birthday gift. And what a gift he was. Not only to his family but to his community, and beyond.

It takes a village they say. Abel grew up in Ottawa surrounded by his loving parents; his doting grandmother, Mama Yirgalem, who played a fundamental role in his upbringing; his uncle Moses; and his aunts, uncles and cousins from the US, Europe, Eritrea and the world.

Abel, the ever kind and vocal child, exhibited a passion for social justice and all living beings at a young age. He first expressed this passion through his love for animals – and insects.

When he was about 5 years old, Abel’s parents made the mistake of stepping on a bug in his presence. He immediately chastised them for killing the insect and then educated them on how to respectfully remove unwanted beings from their home. When they asked him “what the big deal was” and retorted that it was “just a bug”, Abel confidently asked them whether they’d considered that the bug might have also had a mother, and children of its own.

Abel never grew out of this deeply seated love for God’s creatures – including his dog Simba. In fact, as much as Abel loved eggs, he never ate the egg yolk – “the yolk represents life,” he would say. And while other children were mesmerized by McDonald’s, Abel would always choose a trip to the pet store or the zoo – his favorite places on earth – over a happy meal.

 Abel’s other love was children. All children, but particularly those in the Eritrean community whom he showered with attention whenever he was in their presence. It was a connection that adults could only envy. As for the children, they flocked to him and genuinely loved him back because Abel was a deeply good person. We have all seen it up close.

 As Abel planned to travel to Eritrea with his parents, the “Group of Eleven”– the group of children he grew up with – asked him to serve as their ambassador and deliver the donations they’d collected for orphaned Eritrean children. Abel completed the task with grace, and his contribution led to an interview with the national paper, Eritrea Profile. Abel, a mere teenager at the time, made his chosen siblings proud by eloquently articulating the essence of the group’s objectives. He told the reporter that he “hoped that their donation would encourage others to support and invest in orphaned children in Eritrea”. As you can tell, Abel was always ahead of his time and beyond his years. 

Not only did Abel reconnect with his extended family on this trip, he also re-connected with his roots. It was an experience that had a lasting impact on his life.

Abel graduated from D. Roy Kennedy Public elementary school and Sir Robert Borden High School where true to his nature, he served as an Ambassador for newcomers and an organizer for Black History Month celebrations.  An Honor Roll student throughout his elementary and high school careers, Abel was often recognized for his academic and vocational achievements, including receiving the Leanne Jones Citizenship Award and the Ontario Scholar Award.

In recognition of his impressive acting skills, Abel was selected to represent his school against students from 28 other high schools. His performance landed him a nomination for the 2017 Silver Medal for Best Acting from the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center.   

In 2016, Abel was among 140 students - from across the country - selected to participate in the highly competitive Forum for Young Canadians Study of Processes of Government in Canada program. The youngest of the bunch, Abel was aptly awarded the Most Likely to Become Prime Minister designation. 

Abel’s commitment to civic engagement and social justice led him to join the NDP in his teens. He held the youth position on the Nepean NDP EDA executive and was also their representative at various NDP East Ontario Councils as well as NDP policy conventions. 

Abel cared deeply for civil rights, rights for minorities, rights for youth, gender equity, economic inequality. And he was so well-informed about all of it. Abel was as authentic and genuine a warrior for social justice as can be, in a way that inspired so many with confidence for a better future. It was his deeply rooted belief in the possibility for a fairer, more equitable tomorrow that fueled Abel’s drive for political activism. 

Abel volunteered on his first political campaign at the age of 15, for NDP candidate Sean Devine’s 2015 election bid. Even though he was the youngest person who worked on that campaign, he was undeniably one of the most passionate, knowledgeable and committed people they had on their team. On the final day of the election campaign, when the candidate and a bunch of volunteers - including Abel - were at Sean’s house, making phone calls to help motivate voters in a last-minute effort. Abel was brilliant, fierce, and relentless. There was no doubt - even then - that Abel had an extremely bright future ahead of him. And that the world would greatly benefit from whatever he did. 

After the 2015 election, Abel volunteered on MPP Joel Harden's successful 2018 provincial campaign (Ottawa Centre). And in 2019, at the very young age of 19 years old, Abel served as the co-campaign manager for Zaff Ansari's federal campaign (Nepean), where the candidate had a very impressive 2nd place result. 

Most recently Abel was President of both the provincial and federal NDP riding associations for Nepean. Prior to being elected as President, he was already an active member of the Nepean riding association's Executive. Bringing his activism a little closer to home, Abel was instrumental in creating a network of Black members of the NDP.

Abel was very passionate about his Eritrean heritage, the Eritrean community and its youth. 

In 2018, he was recognized for the many hours, over many years that he had spent volunteering in his community. He was named a National Volunteer Week Honoree for his work with young Eritreans in Tigrinya School and his contributions to planning and organizing Eritrean Independence Day celebrations - where he helped put together a script for an original play and assisted the children to rehearse cultural dances.  

Abel Mengistab was a role model to us all, and anyone he ever encountered. He inspired his juniors and seniors alike. “Canada’s Obama” as his friends liked to call him, Abel was a living example of excellence. 

Abel’s friends will tell you that the “extent of his potential was unknown to most and that he was a living genius”. That couldn’t be overstated. Not only was Abel incredibly bright, he was also very creative - which he expressed through his love for music and the captivating lyrics he often wrote. In his mere 20 years, Abel’s impact on the world around him was greater than most could dream of in a lifetime. 

Abel’s passion and drive also led him to the pursuit of higher education at Carleton University’s Arthur Kroeger College of Public Affairs. Having just completed his third year at university, Abel applied the tools and skills he was learning through this program to his activism career. On campus, he joined the Carleton University NDP and was elected VP of programming. This role put him in charge of organizing and running campus events that furthered the NDP movement, and connecting with progressive initiatives to mobilize support for community leaders affiliated with the NDP.

Abel’s smile was healing and his life touched so many people from near and far. He brought out the best in others and made them believe in themselves. His humour, kindness and selflessness will continue to inspire those who were lucky enough to know him and be loved by him. 

When Abel spoke of the children in the Eritrean community – and his eyes sparkled – we saw his sincerity. When he stood with his friends through the challenges of life, we saw his loyalty. When he took authentic interest in the lives of others, we saw his generosity. 

God commands us above all to love. And love, Abel did. 

So: Abel, today and every day, we will carry on your legacy. And of course, we promise to always “not forget the happy thoughts.”