AIDS activist Mary Fisher brings message of hope to campus

Mary Fisher is an internationally acclaimed artist, author, advocate and social entrepreneur. She spoke about her efforts to raise awareness of AIDS.

Students, faculty, staff and community leaders filled the Oakland Center Banquet Rooms on Monday, Dec. 1 for the inaugural Michele D. Raible Lecture, featuring AIDS activist Mary Fisher.

The event coincided with World AIDS Day and was presented by the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine. Diagnosed with HIV in 1991, Fisher is an internationally acclaimed artist, author, advocate and social entrepreneur. She spoke about her efforts to raise awareness of a disease that has killed an estimated 39 million people worldwide and spotlighted the role of medical professionals in helping lead the fight against AIDS.

“Those of you practicing medicine, and those of you training to practice it, are on the front lines of healing,” Fisher said. “This means you are also on the frontlines of the dying. You already have, or you soon will, come to grips with human mortality.”

A pioneer in the fields of broadcasting and public service, Fisher became the first woman “advanceman” for a sitting American President and her speech at the 1992 Republican National Convention is recognized as one of the best 100 speeches of the 20th century. She is the author of six books, a trustee for multiple charities and designer of the 100 Good Deeds Bracelet, which encourages people to change the world “one act of kindness at a time.” Along with her HIV diagnosis, Fisher is also a breast cancer survivor. Her health battles have fueled humanitarian work in the U.S. and around the world. She shared her experiences working with women in Africa and the inspiration she gleaned from them.

“I offer the women in Africa infinitely less than they give me. In the agonies they endure, I discover how I’ve been pampered,” she said. “In the brutalities they’ve survived, I see how kindly my life unfolded.”

Fisher also spoke of the need to eliminate the stigma associated with AIDS and closed her remarks with a call for healing and hope.

“You are a crowd of potential human healers, a reason for great hope,” Fisher said. “May you go eagerly from the classrooms of science to the bedsides of those who will reach for healing.”

Sponsored by the OUWB COMPASS Center for Community Engagement, Diversity and Inclusion, and Medical Library, the lecture honors the memory of OUWB Associate Dean Michele D. Raible and her commitment to educating and inspiring medical students.