Kid Rock Honored by NAACP Amidst Protests

Kid Rock “love[s] black people,” said the singer when accepting the Detroit NAACP’s Great Expectations Award at the Fight for Freedom Fund dinner Sunday night.

According to the Washington Post, the report was met with criticism due to Rock’s use of the Confederate flag onstage, a move that the singer claims is not related to any racial views but actually stems from his love for Southern rock, especially Lynyrd Skynyrd.

About 50 people protested outside the Cobo Center early in the night, burning a replica of the flag, which many people consider a symbol of racism and oppression of black people in the South. Political consultant Adolph Mongo, head of Detroiters for Progress, told The Detroit News that Rock’s use of the flag is “a slap in the face for anyone who fought for civil rights in this country.”

Still, Detroit NAACP stuck by the singer and by their cause. President Wendell Anthony told the Washington Post that Kid Rock was being honored for his advocacy of the city.

“We’re not lifting up the flag,” Anthony said. “We’re lifting up a gentleman who has worked very hard to be a booster for Detroit.”

Kid Rock also announced $50,000 in donations to local organizations, including a theatre group, recreation centers, a conservancy on the city’s Belle Isle, a youth training agency and Habitat for Humanity. He also announced another $50,000 donation to storm relief efforts after tornados devastated many areas in the South.

“That’s what Detroit city is all about,” he said. “We’re fortunate enough that we haven’t been touched by Mother Nature like our friends in the South have.”

This article was originally published on AllMediaNY.com