The City’s final event in celebration of Black History Month was to officially rename Shields Park, Kirk Diamond Park, in honour of the JUNO-award winning musician and activist. Mayor Patrick Brown, Councillors and community members were in attendance.

Kirk Diamond is a singer, songwriter, producer and social activist from Brampton. His reggae and dancehall music spreads messages of unity, inclusion, and love for all walks of life.

Diamond has proven that there are no limits to one can attain if one has high expectations for oneself. The Movement Of Ahryel joins Kirk Diamond in delivering his great music to reggae & dancehall lovers. Since its formation, the band has been opened for international reggae powerhouses like Maxi Priest, Third World, Luciano and Etana.

Diamond was featured on CBC Music’s 10 Canadian Reggae Artists You Need To Hear and nominated for a JUNO Award for Best Reggae Recording for his single Love Inna We Heart, which was produced by France-based Galang Records in 2015. The nostalgic ode to the 90’s has become a worldwide success steadily climbing various international charts.

Kirk believes in the unification and empowerment of men, women and children under the banner of their collective African descent. This is reflected in his music, which is influenced by the

philosophies of Haile Selassie and Marcus Garvey.

The Juno Award-winning singer was elated at the gesture of naming a park after him.

“This means a lot to me, being a Jamaica artiste, because I know now that I have been representing my born land and its culture properly. And to be the first artiste with such an honour is truly a gift, not only to me, but to my children in Black History and Reggae Month,” Kirk Diamond told the Jamaica Observer, shortly after Monday’s ceremony.

Kirk Diamond, who resides just five minutes away from the park, said he had no prior connection to the recreational space.

“I’ve never played at this park. My connection is solely due to me living in this city and the city found it befitting to acknowledge me with a park close to where I actually live. I was contacted by Kimberlee Shelly, who works with the city, who told me about the plans. But I paid it no mind at first because that seemed too good to be true,” he said.

Kirk Diamond, who received a citation, said several government officials were in attendance at Monday’s ceremony in his honour.

“A lot of government officials, including the Mayor of Brampton Patrick Brown, were in attendance. I was also surprised by my high school principal, who turned up for the occasion,” he shared.

Kirk Diamond says he didn’t perform at the function but members of his band The Movement of Ahryel performed a rendition of his chart-topping single Greater.

Originally from Spanish Town, he migrated to Canada during his teenage years.

“Music has always been my joy; especially sound systems when I was younger. After migrating to Canada, Jamaican music was my way of staying rooted to home. It evolved from me singing Beenie Man and Bounty Killer songs to me singing my own lyrics,” he shared. “Musically, the hope and goal is to spread my message which is always love, unity and hope.”

Kirk Diamond’s other chart-topping songs include Give Thanx, Let it Be Done, Blind to Them, Dem Nuh Real, and Love Inna We Heart featuring Bob Da Builda.