State Rep. Kenneth Paschal (R-Pelham), the first black Republican elected to the Alabama Legislature since Reconstruction, torched Democrat colleagues this week after they attacked House Republicans as racist and questioned his “blackness” during the ongoing special redistricting session.

The 21-year U.S. Army veteran blamed Democrats for the “selective nature of how identity is being applied in today’s politics.”

“During this Special Session, some of my Democrat colleagues have had a lot to say about House Republicans being racist; they even called my ‘blackness’ into question because I have an R next to my name instead of a D,” Paschal told Yellowhammer News in a statement. “At the same time, I am not invited to participate in the Black Caucus.”

Paschal, a Christian, father, and retired Army first sergeant who serves Shelby County’s House District 73, said he refused to take the bait.

“My identity is not determined by a political party or anyone else’s expectations,” he said. “That kind of rhetoric reflects a growing problem in American politics, where disagreement is too often met with personal attacks instead of honest debate.”

He closed by invoking James 2:1-9, which warns believers against favoritism, and the Declaration of Independence’s founding principle that “all men are created equal.”

“While I understand our nation’s history, I reject the notion that any American should be defined by race or limited by identity-based expectations,” Paschal said.