Yet as good as it felt to win, Kubet couldn’t help noticing she was still the only black girl in the boathouse. “I thought sure I’d see more diversity when I got to the international level of competition and I didn’t,” she says. “In my whole career, I didn’t compete with or against any other women of colour. Even amongst the coaches, staff and officials, there was very little ethnic diversity.” That lack of diversity in rowing is something Kubet has thought about a lot in recent years— but especially now that she’s serving on Row Ontario’s newly- created Diversity and Inclusion Committee. “Race wasn’t something I ever really talked about with anyone,” she says. “I always felt I should lead by example. But after George Floyd and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, I started
to reconsider that approach. I’ve had people say, ‘Well, you didn’t experience any issues or any racism,’ and it’s hard to know how to respond to that. It might not be something I’ve talked about, but it’s certainly something that I experienced.” “Tillsonburg was a fantastic place to grow up, with lots of opportunities and a strong sense of community,” she continues, “but even so, my siblings and I grew up knowing we needed to make
Believing she might have less margin for error than her teammates, Kubet took great pains to distance herself from drama, and kept any struggles she was having to herself. “I had great teammates and coaches, but I always felt like I needed to be strategic in how much of myself I shared with people,” she says. “Sometimes I just needed space away from the scrutiny.” Kubet was also careful not to let her socio-economic status become an issue. Coming to Canada with little more than a suitcase, her family didn’t even have a car until Kubet was in high school. “I had to work while I was going to university,” she explains. “Some of my teammates could go nap between practices. I didn’t have that option. I’d go to practice in the morning, leave for work, then come back for evening practice. It was stressful, but I was careful not to complain or let my finances become a reason to give my place to someone else.” While many things have changed in rowing since Kubet retired from the sport in 2003, she says there is still a lot of work to be done in terms of removing potential barriers to participation—racial, financial or otherwise. “Talking about the issues is the first step,” she says. “But we need to get to a point where there’s measurable change as well.” While Row Ontario’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee is still in its infancy, Kubet is encouraged by the conversations that are being had. She’s
smart decisions and stay out of trouble because fairness and justice weren't guaranteed." In university and at the national level, Kubet was even more vigilant. “When you row at an elite level, you’re always competing for your seat on the boat,” she explains. “But as a person of colour, I felt even more vulnerable. I didn’t want to do anything that could ever cause someone to decide I wasn’t ‘a good fit.’”
(Above) Kubet Weston (far right) and her teammates at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.
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