At the Allan P. Kirby lecture Mary Fisher gave at the Dorothy Dixon Darte Center on March 16, Fisher spoke on such topics as the epidemic of xenophobia and the “othering” of groups of people, in wake of the rhetoric of “certain republican candidates.”

Fisher related this to her plight as an HIV positive individual, telling stories about her and her children being ostracized.

“I have learned what it means to be the other. That stigma kills us before the virus,” Fisher said.

Fisher also related the topic of “othering” to entrepreneurship, saying that the most successful business in today’s world is global; thus xenophobia is the enemy of entrepreneurship.

“The other disappears when we are all colleagues,” Fisher said in the lecture.

Fisher also discussed women’s issues in the world of business, saying that poverty, lack of education, illness, and injustice are the main things holding women and other oppressed individuals back.

“Investing in women and girls is a powerful global tool,” Fisher said.

Fisher maintained throughout the lecture that she is an optimist, and there is always hope despite opposition.