Austin Chenge, the Black Republican candidate who is running for governor of Michigan, has promised to end Black History Month in the state if he is elected.

On Monday (Feb. 8), the Army veteran announced that he will abolish the annual observance because he believes it is prejudiced against people from other backgrounds. “I will cancel #BlackHistoryMonth in #Michigan,” he tweeted. “It’s offensive, unfair, maybe illegal… Americans from all backgrounds deserve a revered history. I’ll declare American History Month.”

Chenge, who is the first Republican candidate to go up against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, received immediate criticism from people who believed his stance was ridiculous and without merit.

Twitter user @BariAWilliams tweeted, “So, I presume you’ll also do away with Women’s History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, Pride Month, AAPI History Month and Native American Heritage Month, too? Meanwhile, you can still always tell ‘em by the haircut…”

“The blatant disregard for the history of American Descendants of Slavery is apparent in the anti-ADOS rhetoric of the immigrant class,” wrote @chefcarney. “This is why there must be a disaggregation of the ethnic data. This is ethnocide and a total erasure of the highest degree.”

Twitter user @MaxHPF wrote, “Cheng is a native of Benue State Nigeria. He is more likely a descendant of slave traders. If he’s willing to advocate ending #BlackHistoryMonth, U know where he stands on #Reparations. This is why #LineageMatters when developing redress for descendants of chattel slavery in (America).”

This isn’t the first time Chenge faced backlash for his comments. Following the deadly riots that took place at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, he took to Twitter to defend the actions of those men and women who stormed the government building.

“#CapitolBuilding: Yesterday, I saw Americans doing everything necessary to ensure their God-given freedoms, their rights and their #American way of life,” he tweeted. “Some were overwhelmed by more passion than others, but all for the love of their country. Austin For #Governor of Michigan.”