AboutJohn Fuller Expertise I can answer questions pertaining to Affirmative Action, how an affirmative action plan is developed, definitations included within an affirmative action plan, goals versus quotas, misperceptions, rolling out the affirmative action plan with specific action items and areas that are action items. I can answer questions pertaining to Civil Rights violations, investigations of violations and methods and means to be proactive to ensure awareness of civil rights. I am not an attorney and cannot answer or provide information relating to legal, court-related, or case law.
Experience Experience in the area
Diversity,EEO, and Affirmative Action Officer for Johns Hopkins Hospital
EEO, Ethics, and Affirmative Action Officer for Fortune 300
Deputy Director, Equal Opportunity for the Department of Defense
Equal Opportunity Management Institute
Organizations
Board of Directors, National Council for Support of Disability Issues
Board of Direcdtors, Institute for MultiTrack Diplomacy
Maryland Association of Affirmative Action Officers
Publications
Guest expert discussing discrimination, sexual harassment in the workplace and affirmative action on over 45 radio stations nationwide
Education/Credentials
Doctor of Education
Master of Science, Leadership & Business Ethics
Master of Arts, Education
Virginia and Florida Supreme Court Certified Mediator
Department of Defense Certified Mediator
Question What is the best way to define crucial concepts such as discrimination, prejudice, bias, and equal opportunity
Answer Hi Brenda,
When you are applying these concepts to the workplace, they are very distinct yet at times very interrelated.
I will go in reverse order. Equal Employment Opportunity consists of a myriad of Federal, State, and Local laws that protect employees and applicants from discrimination based upon a protected category. For example, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act protects against sex, disability, race, color, national origin, or religion. Many states expand those categories to other protections such as sexual preference, genetics, family or marital status, etc., and local laws or ordinances can expand those even further such as Baltimore where I work protects against gender identification or transsexual.
We all have biases and prejudices about a wide variety of things and it as the dictionary spells out: a personal and sometimes unreasoned judgment. When I instruct at Johns Hopkins on these two concepts, I say that these are thinking concepts and we are free to think how we want as long as we do not act upon them in a discriminatory manner.
That is where discrimination takes on an active sense. One can be prejudice yet not discrimination until he or she takes an employment action against a person based upon a protected status. It becomes particularly troublesome to me when people do discriminate based upon what the definition of bias and prejudice is that they use unreasoned judgement. For if a person truly reasoned why they were discriminating, they most likely would not do so. We are, however, a product of our environment and it takes a lot of awareness for some folks to reason in a way that allows and appreciates true diversity of thought from others regardless of their make-up or status. Please feel free to follow-up at any time.
