Civil rights activists in Detroit are calling for musician Kid Rock to renounce the Confederate flag.

Kid Rock, a Southern rock artist and a native of Michigan, has displayed the flag on stage during concerts and has previously embraced it as a symbol of the Southern heritage.

"It's not about hatred or being a racist. I like Southern rock music, and a lot of people died under that flag for beliefs they had, right or wrong. But it stands for rebel, and my love of Southern rock," Rock said in a 2002 interview, discussing his use of the flag at concerts.

Members of the Michigan chapter of National Action Network made calls Monday for the rocker to remove any images of the flag at his concerts and from his merchandise. The calls for the removal come during national debate over the flag, which has followed the racially motivated shooting in Charleston, S.C., that left nine African-Americans dead.

The Detroit Free Press has reported that it is not clear whether Rock still uses the flag at his concerts. Even so, the members of the National Action Network still want the rocker to renounce the flag.

In addition, the activists are asking the Detroit Historical Museum to remove any image of the Confederate flag that might be included in an exhibit featuring Rock. The activists said they would plan a boycott of the museum if Rock doesn't issue a public stance on the flag, according to USA Today.

"How in the hell can Kid Rock represent Detroit and wave that flag just generating millions and millions in ticket sales — a flag that represents genocide to most of Detroit?" Sam Riddle, political director of the National Action Network, said Monday.

The Rev. Charles Williams II, president of the Michigan Chapter of the National Action Network and pastor at King Solomon Baptist Church in Detroit, said Rock is "the hometown hero who is a zero with the Confederate flag."

The Free Press reported that it reached out to Rock's staff regarding the flag in late June, but that his staff did not specifically address the issue.