AIDS activist Mary Fisher to speak at Belmont church Nov. 9

Author, artist and AIDS activist Mary Fisher will speak at the Congregational Church of the Peninsula during worship at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 9, and then will autograph copies of her new book, Uneasy Silence, from noon-1:30 p.m. in the church Dining Room.

Not long after her own HIV diagnosis more than 30 years ago, Fisher mounted a world stage in Houston, Texas, to address the 1992 Republican National Convention. She stunned the crowd with her speech, A Whisper of AIDS.

For a world living in fear of those with AIDS, Fisher presented a shockingly different view of a person living with — rather than dying of — HIV. Her action encouraged millions of others to live openly and with dignity as well.

“Mary Fisher has broken the ‘Uneasy Silence’ that too many people with AIDS have had to bear,” Rep. Nancy Pelosi said. “Because of Mary’s example, millions of AIDS/HIV patients are living fearlessly with compassion and activism in the face of discrimination and despair.”

Art and advocacy have filled Fisher’s life. She has written six books, given countless speeches and interviews, and traveled the globe as a Special Representative of the United Nations representing the call to justice and healing for those most affected by global neglect and AIDS. 

Her sculptures, quilts, textiles and jewelry all come with an advocacy aesthetic and have found homes all over the globe.

The Congregational Church of the Peninsula is located at 751 Alameda de las Pulgas in Belmont. No RSVP is required. Copies of Uneasy Silence will be available for purchase.