On Saturday night, the highly anticipated Betty and Coretta
debuted on the Lifetime Movie Network, which was somewhat of a
biographical film that highlighted the unique friendship between the
widows of Human and Civil Rights activists Martin Luther King Jr. and
Malcolm X. Many were thrilled, not only because they would be allowed a
glimpse into the lives of these two strong women, but also because of
the all-star cast, which included Angela Bassett, Mary J. Blige and Ruby
Dee as the film’s narrator. It seemed as if the project would’ve been
the perfect way to kick off Black History Month. However, Ilyasah
Shabazz, daughter of Betty Shabazz and Malcolm X, is urging the public
not to be fooled by Lifetime’s inaccurate portrayal of her mother or her
friend, reports The Washington Post.
While Shabazz does commend the movie network for their willingness to
highlight an era as important as the one depicted in the film, she
expresses that the movie was highly fictionalized and the manner in
which it portrayed her mother was extremely inaccurate.
“My mother was not a weak, timid, insecure woman as
portrayed,” Shabazz said. “She was regal, compassionate, strong, loving,
beautiful, resilient and well-educated. That is why the Delta Sigma
Theta sororities named academies all across this country after her, so
others could be inspired how to turn tragedy into triumph,” says
Shabazz.
She went on to say that even the attire that Blige wore during the film while assuming the role of her mother was wrong.
“My mother did not tie a scarf to her face as she was shown wearing in the film.”
Lastly, she expressed that her intentions were not to bash the
network or nitpick, but she felt that accuracy should’ve been an
important factor to the network when they took on this project.
“If only Lifetime had consulted us, the sisters, maybe
this would be more than fiction. I am not pointing my finger solely at
them, but it must be our responsibility to ensure history is properly
documented,” Shabazz said.
Another questionable point in the film was the highly embellished
portrayal of Betty’s death. According to those who were there, she was
unable to speak the entire time she was in the hospital.
Although they have yet to speak out, some have speculated that the
children of Dr. King will also be unhappy with the portrayal of their
parents in the film. Especially the questionable depiction of the
controversy that surrounded the FBI tapes that were sent to the Kings
just before Dr. King was to accept the Nobel Peace Prize.
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