UVA's Abel Liu Breaks Barriers

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA — A commitment to equity and a record to back it up helped Abel Liu make history.

The San Anselmo resident broke barriers in his landslide University of Virginia Student Council election victory last month that made him the nation's first openly transgender student government president at any university, and the first Chinese American in UVA's 202-year history.

Liu captured more than 81 percent of the vote running a campaign focused on student government reform, equity, empowerment, and what he described as "radical compassion."

"I facilitate change at the university level that centers on empowerment, radical compassion, and the redress of historical injustices," Liu said in a statement.

"These themes align with our national conversation, so I hope to champion a model of student government that can drive equitable reform across the country. I'm proud to be part of this change, to get things done, and to make a real impact in people's lives."

Liu has made an impact on people's lives amid the pandemic.

The Redwood High grad co-founded the U.Va. Mutual Aid network, which has distributed over $70,000 to support over 650 students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Liu also successfully lobbied for the credit/general credit/ no credit option for this academic year alongside the Young Democratic Socialists of America and the First-Generation Low-Income Partnership at UVA. The university adopted the grading change for the 2020-2021 academic year.

Liu led the push for a policy that eases educational inequities exacerbated by COVID-19 and allows UVA's 17,000 undergraduate students to prioritize their mental health.

His work as the co-creator of an equity-oriented COVID-19 reopening working group helped to secure pay for student workers during operating freezes and ensure wellness days.

Assistant Vice President of Student affairs and Associate Dean of Students Julie Caruccio described Liu's barrier-busting election victory as an "important and overdue step toward full participation and representation of all students."

"The fact that Abel earned a landslide victory in the face of multiple instances of transphobia should be understood for what it is: a clear message that ideas and effort prevail here," Caruccio said in a statement.

While at Redwood High, Liu founded Elix Incubator LLC, an internationally acclaimed impact incubator program for student entrepreneurs.

In the summer of 2020, he interned as a Cisco business analyst, consulting for Global Partner Readiness and Central Partner Operation teams on strategic growth and positioning.

Liu's election victory comes amid a crisis of anti-Asian hate incidents and violence surging across the nation.

It followed the March 16 Atlanta spa attacks that killed eight people including six Asian women.

Law enforcement officials have not concluded that the incident is a hate crime.

There have been nearly 3,800 hate attacks against Asian people in the last year according to the group Stop AAPI Hate.

"My Chinese American family lives just seven minutes away from Gold Spa, one of the three sites of the Atlanta shooting. So, I feel an extremely personal fear and grief when I think about the Atlanta attacks," Liu wrote in an email to Patch.

"I have joined the calls of organizers in my community to recognize that the enemy is white supremacy. The important point in this last attack is not this lone gunman, but rather, the systems that emboldened him, and what his actions reveal about our world. Everybody must work to actively deconstruct systems of oppression and white supremacy. To do nothing is to be complicit in their maintenance."

Liu told Patch he is mindful of his leadership role as the school's first Chinese American president.

"By being the first Chinese American Student Council President at UVA, I have a unique responsibility to represent and lead the Asian community during this moment of national reckoning," Liu wrote.

"I have been moved by the clear message that the UVA student body accepts and celebrates its Asian peers. Representation certainly matters, and I will follow through on this symbolic charge by also pursuing racial equity at the University.

"My priority as President will be empowering marginalized students directly, so they are able to drive the changes that they would like to see at UVA. At UVA and beyond, solidarity across races, genders, and classes is necessary in our fight against white supremacy."