Introducing: Brave Spaces with Suman Kumar

Hi! I’m Suman.

I am a winemaker and currently a proud stay-at-home parent. Or, as I like to call myself, the Number 1 Fan of Kavi’s Fan Club. A new role I’m now proud of is: Member at Large of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) for the Alliance of Women in Washington Wine.

“Brave Spaces with Suman Kumar,” was created as a platform to inspire our readers to look within to see how unconscious biases affect their own thoughts, to provide education on various topics surrounding DEI as it relates to the Washington Wine Industry, and empowering our readers to take meaningful action to drive change forward. This is not only a safe space, but a brave space where anyone can speak, learn, and ask questions without fear of being belittled, ridiculed, and most importantly- be retaliated against. In short, we must get comfortable talking about things that make us uncomfortable!

Before we embark on this journey, let’s start from the beginning. What exactly is my role within the Alliance of Women in Washington Wine and what exactly is Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and why is it important? 

What is my role within AWWAWINE? 

Along with the other members of the board, I will be a leader and thought partner in creation, execution, and facilitation of DEI initiatives to ensure the Alliance of Women in Washington Wine meets its diversity, equity, and inclusion objectives both within and external to the organization. We are making long-term commitments to our values and partnering with people and supporting organizations that are also doing incredible work in this area. 

What is DEI? 

Diversity, at its core, is about understanding and honoring different people and their perspectives. Diversity is celebrating people from all races, ethnicities, gender and gender identities, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, language, culture, national origin, religious commitments, age, (dis)ability status, and political perspectives. 

Inclusion insists that those who want to participate are able to without any barriers.

Equality makes sure that everyone, regardless of their needs or circumstances, is given the same resources and opportunities. Equity recognizes there are differences in circumstance among a diverse group of people and allocates resources and solutions which will allow the same opportunity for success despite the imbalance of circumstance.

As diversity celebrates all the ways people are different, equity is about creating opportunity and advancement for all the ways people are different. It is crucial to understand that equality is not the same as equity.

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Now that you know a little bit more about me and what exactly DEI is, I hope you will continue to explore “Brave Spaces.” Join me next time as we further our knowledge of what Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion looks like in Washington Wine.

If there is a DEI related topic that you would like to discuss at “Brave Spaces with Suman Kumar,” please feel free to email me at suman@awwawine.org to schedule a meeting.

In the spirit of inclusion, I welcome anyone who would like to attend our DEI meetings scheduled for every third Monday of each month. The first meeting will be held on March 21, 2022 at 7pm. Please email me for a zoom invitation.