Carefully curated for your auditory pleasure
“Black Professional” by Michael Kirby 

Michael Kirby-McGann, known simply as Michael Kirby, is a New York City based music artist and middle school dean from Hartford, CT. In 2018, he released his debut album, Spying On Heaven, of which he donated 100% of its proceeds to Food Bank For New York City. On October 18, 2023, Kirby released his third album, Shoulders Carry Honor, which navigates the topics of temptation, burnout, and working in the field of education with brutal honesty.

This song is about the conundrum of being a Black male in the field of urban education. Black men in the field are often prematurely elevated to positions of leadership within their schools because of their ability to connect with their students, and due to the pressure many corporations are under to diversify their administrative staff. As a result, Black male leaders in education are often not set up to succeed in these roles due to a lack of experience, training or support and quickly leave the profession. And it remains that only 1.3% of educators in the USA are Black men.

Black Professional · Michael Kirby · Kenneth English · Michael Kirby · Chris Moronta

Shoulders Carry Honor

℗ 2023 Michael Kirby

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