A modern-day Rosa Parks story erupted on social media after a YMCA facility called police on a Black, 72-year-old woman who refused to give up her seat to a white woman.
The incident occurred during a fitness class on August 18 at a South Boston, Virginia YMCA.
Maria Spooner, a longtime YMCA member, said she arrived early to a popular fitness class and chose a seat at the front. However, another woman, who is Caucasian, soon arrived and demanded the chair, saying it had been hers for over a year.
Tensions escalated when Spooner refused to give up the chair. She noted there is no reserved seating in the fitness class. “I’m not moving for Miss Karen,” she said in a Facebook Live video.
The minor dispute escalated further when staff accused Spooner of disrupting the class and they asked her to leave. However, Spooner refused to leave, and employees called 911.
The police soon arrived, and threatened to arrest Spooner for “trespassing”. “They want you to leave the Y altogether,” one of the officers told her.
Social media users expressed outrage that staff called the police rather than handle the matter in-house.
X (Twitter) users tagged the YMCA account and vented their anger.
Spooner later said that it was a humiliating experience for her.
Her son, Steven, shared her frustration. “My mother sat in her seat, which was supposed to be an open space… apparently that lady had the right to have her seat, but my mother did not,” he said.
As the public backlash grew, the YMCA finally issued a statement, saying the incident “fell short of the safe and welcoming environment we strive to create.”
The organization said it is in contact with the staff to ensure that a similar situation doesn’t occur again.
The YMCA provides activities, fitness, and education for senior citizens in a safe space to connect with other seniors.
An elderly Black woman, Marina Spooner, shared a video claiming to have arrived to a YMCA class seated first and when a white woman sat right next to her, the YMCA staff allegedly attempted to make Marina move her chair. When she refused she was met with profanity and vulgarities… pic.twitter.com/ykopdvAiAZ
— Glitter Magazine (@glittermagazine) August 23, 2025
