Mary Fisher Speech On Aids

On June 5th, 1981, the first case of AIDS was reported in the United States resulting in 121 known deaths that year, all of which were gay men. Since the deaths reported were only of gay men, it lead straight Americans to believe that they could not be affected by the disease. From 1981 to 1987, AIDS had infected over 50,000 Americans, which were not all gay men, but straight, American men and women. Again, this lead Americans to avoid the truth by making the excuse that only gays, hookers, and prostitutes, could contract the disease, and not the average American. From 1988 to 1992 the number had quadrupled resulting in over 200,000 Americans infected with the AIDS virus (“A Timeline of HIV and AIDS”). Once these numbers were released, Americans could no longer make excuses, and someone needed to confront America to raise awareness of how the AIDS virus didn’t only affect certain people, but everyone. In 1992, a woman named Mary Fisher spoke in front of an audience of thousands and on national television to spread awareness on the rapidly spreading disease,

Fisher has two sons named Max, who was four, and Zachary, who was two. Towards the end of her speech, Fisher talked about what her children's lives would be like once she is gone, making it very emotional for the audience. She made promises and hopes that her sons will someday see her brave, as a messenger, and not a victim. Fisher saying “I will not give in, Zachary, because I draw my courage from you…” and “I will not rest, Max, until I have done all I can to make your world safe.” is extremely emotional for the audience because Fisher was a single mother who could not have lived to raise her children. When the audience pictures children motherless, it made them want to help others so that no one would have to go through the same as Max and