Shrewsbury DEIB Committee Sets June 27 Pride Event, Eyes Select Board Report

SHREWSBURY -- May 11, 2026, Shrewsbury's DEIB Committee confirmed Pride at the Park for June 27 and advanced Juneteenth planning at its May 11 meeting. The committee, which includes members Safa Khan, Flo Singh, Martha Dearing, Roger Olivares, Samantha Golding, and Luis Rodriguez, set Pride at the Park for 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Dean Park Pavilion, with the Worcester AIDS Project, the Regional Board of Health, and the Trails Committee confirmed as participants, alongside planned free ice cream and a possible food truck and yoga instructor. Rodriguez urged the committee to revive its welcoming community statement effort, saying "with the new board, we should expand our efforts to at least reach out to the members," after a prior Select Board had declined to consider the document. The committee also heard Police Chief Kevin Anderson's written statement clarifying that Shrewsbury officers do not detain individuals solely on the basis of ICE civil immigration detainers, shared by member Martha Dearing following correspondence from resident Colleen Corbett. A DEIB annual report presentation to the Select Board is scheduled for June 9, one day after the committee's next regular meeting.