>> ♪ lift every voice and sing 'til earth and heaven ring ring with a harmony of liberty

let our rejoicing rise ♪ our ancestors are to be honored as the roots of the treat, and the greatness and health of the tree depends on the death and health of its routes. when we do not honor our ancestors, we become like trees without roots. there is an unbroken continuing between the realm of the living in the realm of the dead in african culture -- an unbroken continuum. the spirit pervades the everyday world of the living. in a community such as this one,

we begin by honoring the ancestors, and we pour libations to honor them, and that is what rashid is going to do. we pur water -- pour water, the primary ancestral offering, the source of life in the universe. it is associated with the womb of creation and with the fountain of life. in the spirit of honoring the ancestors, we say, praises to the ancestors of this land, the keepers of this land. praise be. praises to the ancestors of the middle passage. praises be. praises to all of those whose courage, strength, determination, perseverance, blessings, grace, blood, sweat,