For the past few days, media outlets have carried the news that Kid Rock is slated to receive the “Great Expectations Award” from the Detroit branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) on May 1, 2010. According to Donnell R. White, interim executive director of the NAACP in Detroit, the reason Kid Rock was chosen for the award was because he has “consistently lifted up the Great Expectations of many persons … concerning the future of the city.”
And anyone who’s ever listened to Kid Rock’s music knows that his love for Detroit runs deep. From songs like “Son of Detroit” to lyrics like “If heaven ain’t a lot like Detroit, I don’t want to go” to his “Made in Detroit” clothing line, Kid Rock has proven himself an undying citizen of the motor city. And when one considers all the struggles Detroit has faced over the past few years, from the financial problems of GM and Chrysler to the large number of manufacturing plants that closed their doors, Kid Rock’s non-stop campaign to see that city return to its glory days should encourage those who live there.
But a few members of the Detroit NAACP aren’t encouraged at all by Kid Rock’s work, nor are they happy that he’s going to receive the “Great Expectations Award.” In fact, they’ve turned a blind eye to his relentless push for Detroit’s rebirth and are instead caught up in the fact that Kid Rock displays a Confederate battle flag during his performances. In their minds, the presence of that battle flag can only mean one thing: Kid Rock is a racist.
Said Adolph Mongo, head of Detroiters for Progress: “[Giving him this award] is a slap in the face for anyone who fought for civil rights in this country, …[because that flag] is a symbol of hatred and bigotry.”
Since Mongo’s use of the phrase “hatred and bigotry” is nothing more than liberal-speak for “racism,” I think it would be nice if he would quit implying that Kid Rock is a racist long enough to explain why the NAACP only seeks the advancement of colored people.
Clearly, Kid Rock is no racist, and the fact that an embittered leader of Detroiters for Progress implies otherwise doesn’t change that.
The sad thing is that this whole episode was avoidable. All Mongo needed to do was be quiet long enough to listen and he would have noticed that Kid Rock has gone on record saying his affection for the Confederate battle flag is tied to the fact that he associates it with southern rock.
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