The past year has been a whirlwind for Del. Aijalon Cordoza (R-Hampton).
Despite starting on a high point, with a swearing-in ceremony at the Virginia General Assembly (following a nail-biting election), Cordoza couldn’t hide his disappointment when the assembly’s black caucus barred him from joining.
Cordoza would’ve been the group’s sole Republican.
Speaking to Fox News, Cordoza compared their rejection to being spit in the face:
“Defining what ‘black’ is by these liberal criteria is frankly wrong and disgusting,” the conservative added.
Cordoza, a veteran, said he attempted entrance into the caucus in hopes that his conservative voice would lend some thought diversity — and it would have been a familiar place for Cordoza, who said he was often the lone conservative voice when he attended an HBCU, which stands for “Historically Black Colleges and Universities.”
“I wanted to become a member of the Black Caucus because I wanted to be a voice, I wanted to be a conservative voice in a group that’s normally very liberal,” he told Fox News Digital. “And I wanted to represent all African Americans, not just liberal ones. I wanted a seat at the table.”
Speaking of his college experience, Cordoza said he was the only “open conservative” on his campus and found that when he was able to articulate conservative values to classmates, “they listened.”
That is exactly what he had hoped to accomplish by joining the caucus.