By Melanie Petrucci, Senior Community Reporter
Photo/courtesy of Roop Jyot Kaur
Shrewsbury – Protests against racism are happening across the globe. On June 1 one protest took place in the Town Center with another scheduled for Saturday, June 6.
With masks on (we are still in a pandemic) roughly 40 people of all ages and backgrounds gathered to support the Black community June 1 and to denounce racism.
Spurred by the recent killing of George Floyd over a week ago in Minneapolis, and a desire to unite for racial equality, the assembly was called to action quickly by Gayle Galletta and the Shrewsbury Diversity Coalition.
Vikram Chhabra was among those present at the protest.
“It was an emotional experience for me given the sadness around all the events of the recent past,” he said. “I felt bouts of positive elation when inspired by the energy of the other sign holders and the honks and toots of support which came from a diverse group of car drivers who represented our human oneness.”
“The honks of support at this difficult time were music to all of our ears,” stated Roop Jyot Kaur in a Facebook posting.
Karen Fine and her 11 year old son Nate brought their “Black Lives Matter” signs. She shared that as a mother of a son, the fact the Floyd had called out for his mother as he was pinned down with a knee to his neck by a Minneapolis police officer left an impression on her.
“I’ve thought a lot this past week about what it’s really like to be in someone else’s shoes and what would it be like to be a Black person in America today,” she said.
She remarked that her son Nate “really nailed it: when he said that it was really encouraging about how many cars were honking and how much support there was.
“Hopefully, towns like Shrewsbury which celebrates its diversity, kindness and oneness can show the way,” Chhabra said.
The protest scheduled for Saturday, June 6, will also take place in the Town Center. This event is being organized by a group of recent graduates from Shrewsbury High School. For information, visit https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090945ABA72CA2FB6-shrewsbury.
