That Old Time Religion Poem Analysis
Soundtrack — “Old Time Religion” (Original Artist Unknown)
THAT OLD TIME RELIGION
By Marvin E. Jackmon
Malcolm.
The Saint
behind our skulls
in the region of fear and strength
Nothing but a man, who threw fear away
and caught something greater … life
And the price of life is death
protect ourselves from the beast
and he went un-protected
by the will of Allah
most merciful
a lost leader
though we have found his spirit
behind our skulls
in the region of fear and strength
Malcolm held our manhood
he said what we knew but feared
we feared to name the beast
who is a man; who has a number
and the number is 666 spoken of
in Revelations of the bible.
Ready or not … God is here
LET THERE BE BLACKNESS OVER THIS LAND
LET BLACK POWER SHINE AND SHINE
Religion is the way people provide meaning to the physical world and their lived realities. If one cannot derive meaning from their religious encounters, such as prayers, fasting, scripture reading, etc. then it can be assumed that one’s religion is futile to his or her development. The teachings of Malcolm X were similar to this understanding of religion. He provided meaning to the struggles and circumstances of Black people in America while developing a foundation for understanding and recreating this world we live in. Not only were his teachings the fundament of the Black experience from the sixties to present, his story of evolution provided a blueprint for what spiritual growth and development looked like. Malcolm Little, Detroit Red, Satan, Malcolm X, El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz are his names. During every stage of his life, each name introduced a new side of himself. From an egg as Malcolm Little to a Black butterfly as El Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, he became the Savior within the Black community. As in the poem “That Old Time Religion” by Marvin E. Jackmon, he analyzes Malcolm as “The Saint” who preached of the unspoken truths only to give the people that old time religion that was good enough for liberation like the old Negro spiritual “Old Time Religion.”
Malcolm’s teachings were the Bible for Black Empowerment. The nostalgia of a religion that satisfied one’s soul is what Malcolm represented. The poem locates this nostalgia as being “behind our skulls/in the region of fear and strength.” Jackmon emphasizes that fear and strength were the two polar power structures penetrated within the Black community. The daily struggles of life and liberty within the Black community induced a fear that worked to weaken the foundations of the community. Drugs, fatherless homes, sex, money, schools, and political misrecognition were all proponents in the weakening of the faith within the Black community. The progress and strides we had made for freedom in previous generations had worn off and Malcolm resuscitated us. He required Black women, men, and children to step out on faith and realize their strengths regardless of their fears.
Jackmon highlights that only when one’s strengths transcend one’s fears will living truly begin just like in Malcolm’s life. However, even after he had overcome the shackles of oppression, “he went un-protected/by the will of Allah/ most merciful/a lost leader/though we have found his spirit.” Jackmon juxtaposes Malcolm’s power struggle within and without and how this struggle still left him un-protected and susceptible to the ills of fear. Furthermore, Jackmon refers to Malcolm as a lost leader who allows the people to find him. This reference stresses how his leadership was with and of the people but still posed a threat to the same institution that can be given part of the credit for his transformation — The Nation of Islam.
The reference to The Nation of Islam suggests how Malcolm’s power as a revolutionary thinker had outgrown the confines of a specific religious group and in turn posing a threat to the power structure. The final stages of El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz’s life are often overlooked, but Jackmon captures it in one line: “Ready or not … God is here.” If we understand God to be a reflection of us, then God is in all of our mirrors and we must love him or her fiercely. Just as Malcolm did, we as a people can awaken the God within us and satisfy our souls with that old time religion where instead of the Genesis being “let there be light,” it is “Let there be Blackness over this land/ Let Black Power Shine and Shine.” Jackmon’s poem encompasses the struggle of Malcolm X and by extension the struggle of the Black community. We are plagued with fear but overflowing with strength. El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz was — and still is — praised like a Savior because he gives the community what it needed and still needs — authentic leadership. Although he was not perfect, he was genuine in his quest of liberation for all oppressed people, which is what the community needed and still need today — just some of “That Old Time Religion.”
DISCLAIMER: I am not an expert and I do not ascribe to one solution to a problem, so I present to you one perspective. If you have any critiques, knowledge, or general comments about the essay, email me at highhealproductions7@gmail.com
Peace and Blessings,
HHD
