The last part of the sentence is throwing me off because I'm not sure whether or not "死んだ先人達" should be read as "しんださきひとたち" or "しんだせんじんたち." Could it depend on context? Are both readings acceptable?
Thank you for any replies!
先人 is read as せんじん. I've never seen/heard it read as さきひと. I don't think it can be read otherwise, at least in modern Japanese. https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/word/%E5%85%88%E4%BA%BA/