Thousands of fans were treated to a free concert Monday night headlined by global superstar Ricky Martin for World AIDS Day, commemorating the lives lost and the fight to end the epidemic.
Performing to one of his hit songs, Martin blew the crowd away with the free concert at the Watsco Center at the University of Miami.
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"Life has highs and lows, but we’re here standing, standing strong," the singer said.
World AIDS Day, which is held each year on Dec. 1, is an opportunity for communities to unite in the fight against HIV, show support for people living with HIV, and remember lives lost.
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"We want people to hear that HIV is not over, that we are still experiencing people that are coming down with HIV illness who are living their lives with HIV illness, and that stigma kills," said Tracy Jones, the southern bureau chief for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, or AHF.
The AHF claims to be the world’s largest HIV/AIDS healthcare organization serving millions of patients, and it organized Monday's event.
"Just because a person is living with HIV or AIDS, they still need to be loved," Jones said. "They still need to be hugged. They still need to have their families."
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 1.2 million Americans are living with HIV. Miami-Dade County ranks top in terms of new HIV cases nationally, especially among Hispanics and Black Americans.
"It’s incredibly alarming because we are at this stage where we’re on the precipice of being able to control the illness, but it means people have to know that they are themselves are infected and that they have the ability to get the medication that will save their lives," Jones said.
AHF says to help reduce the spread of HIV, it's important for people to know their status and get tested. Many organizations, including AHF, provide those tests for free.
