I’m a Black woman, and I used the large pool in Columbia during Covid. My observation at the pool was that most folks were happy to follow the new Covid protocols – no matter what race. There were a few occasions, however, when a pool patron was unwilling to follow the rules. I noticed that when a person of color was around the pool and their mask was on improperly (or not at all) – there was swift action from the pool staff to ask them to either put the mask on or pull the mask up. I also noticed a few times that a White person would refuse to follow the rules, usually if it involved waiting for someone else to finish their laps so that we could maintain an every-other-lane distance. They would just hop in. The pool staff did not address these violations quickly at all. I had to ask the staff to please enforce that rule, and instead of handling it the lifeguard pointed me out to the offending swimmer and I was then asked when I was leaving. I cancelled my membership. The experience felt typical of what I know of Howard County. It looks like a diverse utopia, but underneath the surface we are not treated equally.
