:38:01
Tradition.
:38:07
The Mende believe that if one can
summon the spirit of one's ancestors,
:38:12
then they have never left.
:38:15
And the wisdom and strength
they fathered and inspired
:38:19
will come to his aid.
:38:29
James Madison,
Alexander Hamilton,
:38:33
Benjamin Franklin,
:38:35
Thomas Jefferson,
:38:39
George Washington,
:38:44
John Adams.
:38:54
We have long resisted
asking you for guidance.
:38:58
Perhaps we have feared
in doing so,
:39:00
we might acknowledge
that our individuality,
:39:03
which we so, so revere,
is not entirely our own.
:39:09
Perhaps were feared an...an appeal
to you might be taken for weakness.
:39:15
But we have come to understand,
finally, that this is not so.
:39:22
We understand now...
:39:26
We've been made to understand,
:39:29
and to embrace the understanding
:39:35
that who we are
:39:37
is who we were.
:39:49
We desperately need
your strength and wisdom
:39:52
to triumph over our fears,
our prejudices, ourselves.
:39:58
Give us the courage
to do what is right.