A number of Bakersfield residents gathered Monday to recognize World AIDS Day, remember victims and increase awareness of the still incurable disease.

As people met at the corner of Chester Avenue and Truxtun Avenue, you could hear Mariah Carry’s song ” And I Know your Shinning Down on me From Heaven” a block away. The small crowd was just starting to line up to help each other light candles. They walked down to the Bakersfield Convention Center, holding the candles to represent those who have died from the AIDS virus.

“If I could send a message, it would be to the parents telling them to talk to their kids and tell them what’s going on. If we don’t talk to our kids, we have a big problem,” said Gigger Helm, who was there in honor of his son, who died from AIDS seven years ago.

Among the speakers was City Councilwoman Jacquie Sullivan. She wore a shirt with a picture of her daughter, whom she lost to AIDS. She gave the group a certificate declaring the day “World AIDS Day.”

“Numbers only represent numbers, but it’s the people behind the numbers that count,” said Dr. Babtunde Junadu, director of the Kern County Health Department. He also added, “Through education we can become passionate to those who are infected with HIV.”

Keith Davis, who has been living with AIDS for 18 years, was there to honor his friend Bob, who died of AIDS five years ago. “We need to do more then tell people what AIDS can and will do. People know that tobacco will kill you, but they smoke everyday. We need to make people want to save their own lives,” he said.